Malta’s education miracle exposed as a myth by OECD Results

Momentum says the latest PISA results are a devastating indictment of the government’s education policies and expose years of spin, complacency, and misplaced priorities.

The figures show that Maltese students have suffered significant declines in reading, mathematics, and science, scoring below the OECD average across the board. Reading performance registered a particularly alarming drop, and Malta recorded a higher-than-average proportion of low-performing students.

For years, government ministers have tried to sell the public a narrative of unprecedented success, spending millions on publicity while masking the reality on the ground. Mark Camilleri Gambin, General Secretary of Momentum stated::

“The government cannot hide behind press conferences and brochures. The OECD results are an international verdict on Labour’s stewardship of education. We strongly believe that education must stop being treated as a political football where reforms are measured by partisan points rather than student success. Accountability is non-negotiable; student outcomes were collapsing while ministers were busy celebrating announcements..”

Momentum warns the government that the answer to these falling grades is not to artificially lower entry requirements or reduce syllabus difficulty. For years many educators have consistently pointed out that such fake fixes are unsustainable.

The results should force the government to answer difficult questions:

• Why has student performance deteriorated so significantly despite years of economic growth and record expenditure?
• Why are classrooms facing rising absenteeism and disorder, alongside crippling staff shortages and excessive bureaucracy, while ministers boast about isolated initiatives?
• Why have repeated promises of educational reform failed to produce measurable improvements?

Momentum stresses that educational decline is both a national and human crisis.

“We cannot attract high-value industries or build a knowledge-based economy with falling standards in core subjects. But education is not just about the economy. Before we develop workers, we must develop human beings who are empathetic and independent thinkers with strong character. The government’s approach is failing on both these fronts.”

The party insists this must be part of a serious, holistic vision rather than another standalone PR exercise.

Momentum is therefore calling for:

• An independent national review into the effectiveness of government education policies.
• A comprehensive literacy and numeracy recovery programme with publicly measurable targets, without lowering existing entry requirements.
• Targeted action to address absenteeism and classroom disorder, providing real support and resources for educators.
• Greater transparency and accountability regarding educational outcomes, ending the reliance on PR and spin.
• Review whether the college-based system in state schools has enabled or hindered individual schools by reducing autonomy and accountability, impacting their ability to address students’ specific needs.

“The truth is simple,” Camilleri Gambin concluded. “Our students are showing to be resilient and they, together with educators, deserve better than excuses, spin, and political self-congratulation. Malta deserves an education system that prepares young people to thrive as well-rounded citizens and compete with the best in the world.”

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