An EU survey of Malta's education system has found that Malta is reducing its rate of early school leavers, although much ground needs to be covered before the EU average is reached.

The survey also found that the transition from education to the labour market is easier in Malta than in most other EU countries.

Malta has surpassed the EU average of the rate of early childhood education of 4-year-olds prior to the onset of compulsory education. The rate of attendance of children aged between 4 and 5 in Malta has reached 100%.

The rate of adults between the ages of 30 and 34 who have obtained a qualification at tertiary level or equivalent has improved in Malta but it still well below the EU average. 

The Education Ministry said the European Commission has drawn attention to a number of bottlenecks in the Maltese education and training system, particularly the high rate of early school-leavers and that basic skills proficiency is poor compared to the average abroad.

(See table)