Malta has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people aged 24-64 following lifelong learning courses, however, the EU-wide target of 15 per cent of the population by 2020 seems out of reach.

Malta’s rate languished at 6.3 per cent in 2008 but has been slowly but surely rising to 7.5 per cent in 2016. It then took quite a leap and went up to 10.1 per cent, not far behin the EU average of 10.9 per cent. But at the current rates of growth, the EU average will be just about 12 per cent, and that of Malta just under 12 per cent by 2020.

A report by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education showed that the number of early school leavers has been dropping, from 27.2 per cent in 2008 to just 18.6 per cent. However, this is still eight percentage points above the EU average, which at 10.6 per cent is almost at the 2020 target.

The report also analysed those enrolling in further education and found that those in the south were under-represented (16.7 per cent out of a 19.2 per cent share of the population) while those from Gozo were over-represented (9.8 per cent of 7.5 per cent).

The same holds true for higher education in the south which is once again under-represented (12.5 per cent out of a 19.2 per cent share). The western area is over-represented, with 16.9 per cent out of 13.9 per cent.

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