Students are generally happy with co-education – which was introduced in state schools in 2013- but teachers are decidedly less keen, survey results published today by the education ministry show.

Over 3,000 students were surveyed, with 83 per cent of Form One, 78 per cent of Form Two and 71 per cent of Form 3 and 4 students reporting that they are happy and content at school.

Girls are happier than boys in Form One and Form Two, while the opposite is true in Form Three and Form Four.

Teachers are generally less enthusiastic, with 27 per cent of them saying students are generally doing well in co-education, 46 per cent saying it made no difference to students and 24 per cent saying they feel students are generally underachieving.

Half of the teachers surveyed said they had settled down in a co-education setting while 41 per cent said it made no difference.

The survey results showed that 35 per cent of teachers need additional support to maintain discipline in classrooms.

The majority of parents surveyed said they are generally satisfied with their child’s co-education experience.

Students expressed their wish for a less formal and more practical uniform, and also expressed their concerns about bullying.

The main issues raised by teachers was the need for more discipline and more action on misbehaviour and bullying.

Parents also expressed their concerns over bullying and the lack of discipline, as well as heavy school bags and the availability and suitability of lockers.

Education minister Evarist Bartolo said the decision to introduce co-education in state schools was taken in a wider context, as the government wanted to ensure students are given more individual attention in smaller schools.

He said the education ministry is working on having a less top-down relationship with schools in order to foster a more “democratic” relationship.

The survey results will be discussed with all schools in order to tackle the issues raised.