Malta has made significant gains in an international survey on reading literacy skills, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international assessment and research project designed to measure the reading achievement of pupils having an average age of 10 - Year five of primary school - as well as school and teacher practices related to instruction.

Students complete a reading assessment and questionnaire that addresses students’ attitudes toward reading and their reading habits. In addition, questionnaires are given to students’ teachers and school principals to gather information about students’ school experiences in developing reading literacy. The last study was made in 2016.

The Maltese pupils achieved an average mark of 515, which was comfortably above the international average of 500. That ranked Malta in 31st place out of  57 participating countries. Malta had averaged 452 points in 2016 and 457 in 2011.

Malta's progress since 2016 was the strongest among the surveyed countries, the ministry said.

The study showed that Maltese pupils were at the same level as their peers in  New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, France, Serbia, Albania, Cyprus and Belgium but ahead of countries such as the UK, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Russia, the USA, Finland, Poland, Australia, Denmark, Norway and Austria, the ministry said.

Girls do better than boys

In Malta, like the rest of the world, girls did better than boys. Among the Maltese, the girls got six points more than the points. The international average difference between boys and girls was 18 points.

The ministry said the study confirmed a link between the popularity of reading among Maltese pupils when compared to their parents. The percentage of Maltese parents who like to read, at 37% was higher than the international average of 31%. 

3,865 Maltese pupils participated in the study - 1,972 boys and 1,893 girls from 100 primary schools - 64 state schools, 11 independent and 25 church schools.

The ministry said the study also found that Malta had improved its performance in the area of security and order in schools. Malta's average result (10.9) was above the international average of 10 and up significantly from 9.6 in 2016.

The report showed that 60% of teachers considered their schools to be secure and orderly.

Teacher satisfaction was ranked at 10.2, marginally up from the international average of 10. The ministry did not report the previous ranking.

The report was not immediately available. 

Education Minister Clifton Grima welcomed the survey results and thanked all concerned. He said the government was committed to further improving the results by building on what had been achieved 

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