According to data released by Eurostat, Malta's education system ranks among the highest in Europe in terms of student/teacher ratio, with almost every teacher teaching nine students.
The teacher-student ratio is the third lowest in Europe and has continued to decline since 2013.
However, despite Malta’s excellent student-to-student ratio, it still has the problem of keeping many students in school and becoming the worst early leavers.
Meanwhile, teachers’ incomes have finally surpassed the EU average, with their starting salaries putting Malta in the middle of the pack.
A study released by the European Commission to mark World Teachers' Day last week puts the gross annual salary of primary school teachers here at €28, calculated on a purchasing power basis. The figure is calculated to eliminate currency differences and allow comparisons between countries.
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According to Carmel Borg, former dean of the university’s Faculty of Education, the student-to-teacher ratio should enable Malta to achieve the best results in the field, especially as it looks to invest in the sector.
The island has one of the highest government expenditures on education, according to a European Commission report released in July.
So it's clear what the problem is: we have the highest student-teacher ratios, spending and early leave rates, but at the same time we also have the worst problems.
Our findings indicate that despite some progress, socioeconomic factors still largely influence our education system.
Still, these efforts cannot replace all our efforts.
Similarly, students from families below the poverty line are still struggling, and he said COVID-19 has further highlighted the issue.
Borg noted that some schools have higher student/teacher ratios but perform better because the children come from different backgrounds.However, if we do not work to make society more just, we will continue to struggle to solve problems in education.
He acknowledged that the issue is quite complex, but noted that while the ratio is a theoretical step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done.
Some coalition members have questioned the validity of the data.
Marco Bonnici, president of the Malta Teachers Union, said he doubted the ratio and whether it accurately reflected the situation in classrooms.
This ratio is quite rare both at home and abroad.To achieve this goal, you must include all employees who work on campus.
Unions have repeatedly stressed the need for the education sector to address what they say is a widespread shortage of teachers in the sector.
Bonnici said that while early school leaving rates were among the highest in Europe, there had been significant improvements in recent years, suggesting the island was on the right path.
Regarding salary, the average salary of primary school teachers in EU member states reaches 25 euros.
Although the starting salary of teachers in public schools and church schools is the same, the levels are different.However, averages vary slightly across the EU.The starting salary for junior high school students is 26 euros and for secondary school students is 505 euros.
Maltese teachers earn as much as teachers in Belgium, Ireland and Finland, but less than teachers in Germany, Luxembourg and Denmark.Teachers in these countries have the highest salary levels among EU countries.
According to the report, Latvia, Slovakia and Hungary have relatively low teacher salary levels in the 2020-2021 school year.
Teachers, despite improvements in recent years, still believe they deserve more pay.Their unions often blame low wages on a lack of interest in the profession and are often the reason for shortages in the industry.
