Malta

Compulsory Education Age

According to the Education Act, Chapter 605, compulsory education starts at age "five (5) years to fifteen (15) years, both inclusive, and accordingly, a person shall be deemed to be of compulsory school age if he has attained the age of five (5) years and has not attained the age of sixteen (16) years or has not yet completed the last year of secondary school."

Legal Status

The introduction of registered, legally recognized home education is to commence in 2022. It is highly regulated and intended for practice only by warranted home educators (or warranted teachers in the Maltese System), teaching an approved Maltese Curriculum after proving acceptable justification for why a student should be home educated.

Education Act, Chapter 605, Part V reads as follows: 

46. It shall be lawful for a parent of a minor of compulsory school age to apply to the Division of Education to provide home education to the minor: Provided that the application for home education is not made on racist or similar grounds, or for reasons which the Division does not consider to be properly taking into account the circumstances; and in any of the above cases, home education is considered to be in the best interest of the minor taking into account the circumstances and situation of the minor and his family

47. (1) Where the  Division is of the opinion that the necessary conditions for the provision of home education to a minor have been satisfied,  it shall authorize the parent of the minor to provide home education to the minor at the parent’s expense and subject to the following conditions -

(a) the minor must have a  social experience equivalent to that provided in schools;
(b) the minor is afforded the same experience and facilities as those in schools;

(c) minors must follow an accredited program as approved by the  Division and such conditions set by the Division as it may deem appropriate in the best interests of the minor.

(2) A parent who causes his minor child to follow a home education program in accordance with all the conditions imposed by the Division shall be deemed to have satisfied his obligations under article 6.

The full text is available here. 

The above text is a contribution from the Malta Home Education Association.

Contact Information

Malta Home Education Association

Facebook: Malta Home Education Association
Email: maltahomeeducation@gmail.com