Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1044434
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 OCTOBER 2018 NEWS JAMES DEBONO MALTESE 16-year-olds who will be voting next year for the first time in their lives are still amongst the least knowl- edgeable in politics and civic education, a global survey has found. A European Commission report pointed out the con- trast between civic education and the right to vote, saying the lowering of the voting age highlights the importance of citizenship education. The report Monitor 2018 re- ferred to the 2016 survey that shows Maltese students not only score nine points below the global average when it comes to civic education, but were the second worst per- forming among 14 EU coun- tries which participated in this study. The Maltese scored 54 points below Russian peers and 73 points below the Norwegians when it comes to civic educa- tion, the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study – which is carried out by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement – revealed. The results for Malta were based on a comprehensive survey of 3,764 14-year olds attending 47 Maltese schools. The questionnaire assessed student knowledge with mul- tiple choice questions on themes such as the misuse of power, party financing, free- dom of expression and civil society. Only 42% of Maltese stu- dents chose the correct option when asked why some coun- tries have party financing laws for example. The question re- ferred to the practice of "indi- viduals or groups who some- times give money to political parties". Students were then asked to choose from four options on why some countries have enacted laws requiring par- ties to disclose donations. The correct answer was that the laws "discourage political par- ties from favouring the people who make the donations." The wrong options included state- ments that the laws "encour- age people to join the wealthy political parties", "help the public decide which party is likely to win" and "encour- age the people to vote for the political party receiving fewer donations." Maltese students also per- formed badly when asked to mention two different things that can be done to prevent misuse of power. Significantly the study sug- gests Maltese boys were even more lacking in civic educa- tion than girls, who scored 38 points higher than boys – the widest gender gap found among all the countries par- ticipating in the study. Scores also differed signifi- cantly between school types, with boys and girls attending independent schools, and girls attending Church schools, scoring significantly better, indeed exceeding the interna- tional average by 17 points. The study also found that Maltese students "who have many books at home and whose parents have a high in- come, a high educational and occupational level" are more likely to score higher in civic knowledge than their coun- terparts. Among EU countries partici- pating in the study, particular- ly low levels of civic knowledge were typically found in just 5% or less of the student body. But Bulgaria (22%) and Malta (19%) were the exceptions. And students hailing from an immigrant background fared worse than natives, however, in Malta they achieved similar results when it came to civic education. Apart from assessing their knowledge the study also shines a light on students' be- liefs and attitudes on a wide range of topics. It found that students' trust in institutions in Malta was significantly higher than the global aver- age. Maltese students attend- ing State and Church schools exhibited more trust in in- stitutions than independent school students. Maltese students attend- ing Church and independent schools were then more in favour with free worker move- ment within Europe than stu- dents attending State schools. Boys, particularly those at- tending State and Church schools, were more in favour of worker migration restric- tions than females. Additionally, boys – particu- larly those attending Church and independent schools – had a stronger sense of Euro- pean identity than females. Commission highlights labour market problems Monitor 2018 also throws light on Malta's labour market challenges. Despite significant improve- ments in recent years, Malta has the highest proportion of low-qualified adults in the EU: 52.7 % of those aged be- tween 25 and 64 have at most an education level equivalent to lower secondary education. Moreover, the proportion of low-qualified young peo- ple (aged 20-24) is among the highest in the EU (22.9% vs 16.7%), while the tertiary edu- cational attainment rate is one of the lowest. By contrast, over a third of foreigners living in Malta have tertiary education, helping to fill skill shortages in growth areas such as ICT, accounting, finance and science. But at just over 94 %, the em- ployment rate for recent grad- uates in Malta is the highest in the EU. The school-age population is also expected to grow signifi- cantly over the coming dec- ades. Between now and 2050, Eurostat forecasts a 15.9 % in- crease in the school age popu- lation (5-18-year-olds), one of the highest in the EU, driven by migration flows, with po- tential implications for the education system. On a positive note the re- port notes that the number of under-3-year-olds in formal childcare has risen signifi- cantly, from 17.9% in 2015 to 31.3% in 2016 and is now close to the EU average of 32%. It also notes that several reform measures are being backed by substantial invest- ment with the aim of foster- ing inclusion and improving learning outcomes. The Commission's report re- fers to the ongoing expansion of Malta's higher education sector adding that this "is not without difficulties, and raises questions about quality stand- ards". The report refers to the American University of Mal- ta (AUM) which opened as planned in the academic year 2017/18, but also refers to "ex- tensive media reporting on its problems". These problems include: "a failure to attract students and hire suitable aca- demic staff and the allegation that students were using the university as a means to enter the EU." jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Are the kids alright for voting at 16? A global study says Maltese teenagers have the second-worst scoring among 14 EU nations when it comes to civic education