1-in-5 students fail in Malta
In 2024, more than one in five students in Malta received a failing grade, highlighting a systemic problem in the educational system.
Snapshot · Jon Mallia Podcast
L-EDUKAZZJONI GĦANDHA SSIB L-AĦJAR FIL-BNIEDEM | Morgan Parnis
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Jun 23, 2026
Where this was said
In-nuqqasijiet tas-sistema edukattiva kurrenti
At 24:44 · chapter starts 22:52
This is the episode's most data-driven segment. Morgan references PISA benchmarks and notes that Malta's results consistently sit below the European average. But the statistic that lands hardest is simple: in 2024, more than one in five students failed. And the system moves them forward anyway, grade after grade, without any serious intervention. Morgan argues that this is not a problem of individual students but of a system that treats learning as a single, linear track. He calls for Malta to adopt alternative systems that give every student a genuine chance — not to abolish the mainstream, but to recognise that it cannot serve everyone. He frames it as an advocacy position rather than an attack, and positions Knights College as his own answer to that gap.
PISA benchmarks used to compare Malta
Malta's education performance is regularly compared internationally using PISA reports, consistently showing areas of concern.
Why Malta's Education System Keeps Failing the Same Students
More than 1-in-5 students in Malta fail every year — and they keep failing at the same rate all the way through secondary school. The system is built around memorisation and linear trajectories, and if you don't fit the mould early, it never corrects course.
Same failure rate from Form 1 to Form 6
Students who fail in Form 1 continue to receive the same failing grade through to Form 6, showing the system never corrects itself.
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