The National Commission for Higher Education is due to conclude a consultation process with stakeholders by April, ahead of drawing up a new strategy for higher education, the minister responsible for education, Dolores Cristina, said today.

She said the new strategy would tackle issues such as the need for balance between study and research, innovation and creativity, the national economic and social needs and ways to direct students to those needs.

The minister was speaking at the launch of an NCHE report on Further and Higher Education Statistics in 2008.

The minister said there was also need for changes to the Education Act to include all post-secondary education institutes.

The ministry is also is also planning to set a new Directorate for Higher Education, within the ministry.

The highlights of the report are that, in 2008:

· The participation rate of 17-year-olds in post-secondary general and vocational education stood at 59%;

· The participation rate of 19-year-olds in tertiary education was 24%;

· The share of students enrolled in the private sector accounted for 3% of all students in higher education and 16% of all students in further education;

· The total number of Maltese students pursuing doctoral programmes amounted to 114 students – the growth rate for doctoral programmes increased by 40% per annum over the past eight years primarily due to scholarship schemes introduced by the government;

· The largest proportion of enrolments in tertiary education was in the fields of Social Science, Business and law, which accounted for 37% of all students at this level;

· Enrolment in science-related fields accounted for 16% of all students;

· Malta has more outgoing students than it has incoming, with around 600 foreign students studying in Malta in 2005 and around 850 Maltese students studying abroad, Some 10% of Maltese students were studying abroad, over two-thirds of them in the UK;

· There were a total of 11,874 students in full and part-time further education and an additional 3,511 following short courses;

· There were a total of 9,747 students in higher education predominately at the University of Malta.

The report and data can be viewed on http://www.nche.gov.mt

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