Many clients moving from Germany to Malta have children. Accordingly, there is high demand from potential clients asking how the school system in Malta is structured, what the education standards are like, and whether they are comparable to the German system.
Sabrina Krainer, an employee at DW&P, a mother herself and resident in Malta, will outline some key aspects on the topic of “Children in Malta” below. At the end, Ms Krainer will also answer frequently asked questions.
Basic Information on Families in Malta
Malta is generally very child-friendly. The Maltese love children – especially the older generation. When my children were still in the pram, many Maltese people would often stop and look into the buggy, offering me and my children their blessing (“God bless”). Of course, such reactions were limited during the COVID period.
Maltese people are very family-oriented and often live with several generations under one roof, helping each other out. Unlike in Germany, many Maltese mothers return to work after just 4 months of maternity leave, so grandparents often take care of the children or pick them up from nursery.
One reason for the short maternity period in Malta is the limited state support. While there is child benefit and a parental tax rate, the support amounts to just €33.33 per child up to the age of 3 (at least that was the case for my children four years ago). Another form of state “support” for parents is the “Parental Rate” – a reduced tax rate for both parents.
Maternity Leave in Malta
As briefly mentioned earlier, the statutory maternity leave in Malta is 4 months – meaning a mother usually stays home for 4 weeks before the due date and 3 months after the birth, with the baby.
However, the length of maternity leave may vary depending on the company and is handled differently by each employer. In the end, it always comes down to individual agreement.
Not all mothers want to place their 3-month-old babies in a nursery. Therefore, there is an option for mothers to take an additional 6 months of unpaid “leave” – this is also legally regulated.
By that point, the baby will be around 9–10 months old. Most babies in Malta are placed in nursery by this age at the latest.
Nurseries in Malta
Nurseries in Malta cater to children up to the age of 3 and are provided free of charge by the state, as long as both parents are working. The state does not differentiate between public and private nurseries – it funds both. This is known in English as the “Free Childcare Scheme”.
Beyond this, there is no further state support (which, in my opinion, is unsurprising given the comparatively low tax rates for both entrepreneurs and employees/employers).
A small calculation example
Here’s a small example concerning social contributions (naturally, there are other factors, but this comparison is illustrative):
An employee with a gross weekly salary of at least €499.74 pays €49.97 per week in social contributions. These cover both health insurance and pension. If the employee earns less than €499.74 per week, then contributions equal 10% of the weekly income.
NOTE: The above €49.97 is the maximum – meaning that even if someone earns €3,000 a week, they won’t pay more than €49.97!
Kindergarten in Malta
At DW&P, we are often asked to compare Malta and Germany. Since Maltese culture differs from German culture, comparisons are difficult (as the saying goes: different countries, different customs).
For example, parenting styles vary significantly in terms of TV: for Maltese parents, it’s completely normal and acceptable to let children watch television – whereas in Germany, that’s generally frowned upon (my subjective opinion). Accordingly, your children will watch television in state kindergartens in Malta. Since I didn’t want this for my children, I searched extensively for a kindergarten without a television.
Yes, you heard that right – it’s not easy to find a kindergarten without TV integrated into the daily routine. I didn’t want to be “that crazy” mother driving my child every day from Sliema to Birkirkara just for daycare – but sometimes you have to set priorities. If you want a TV-free kindergarten, you need to be willing to drive.
Back then, I chose Casa Maria Montessori in Birkirkara. In hindsight, it was the best decision for my child. When clients ask me about kindergartens, I always recommend it with confidence.
In my opinion, this kindergarten’s educational approach even surpasses that of German kindergartens. You might now wonder why. You may already be familiar with the Montessori concept – if not, a brief explanation: it’s based on the belief that children aged 3 to 5 have an incredibly high capacity for learning and absorb knowledge effortlessly. This is capitalised on by teaching children through play at this age (but only if the child shows interest). As a result, my children were already able to add before they even started school. This early head start helps build the confidence they’ll need later on in school.
The Montessori motto is “Does my child really need my help?” As a mother, I learned a lot from this kindergarten, such as what children are already capable of at an early age – from setting the table independently to refilling their own water. Children are taught these things as young as 1.5 years old, without pressure – just through demonstration and play.
The age groups are also mixed – so the younger children learn by observing the older ones and replicate their actions independently, taking pride in their achievements.
What personally fascinated me was that every toy has a purpose. For example, there was an activity involving two containers where the child would fill one with water and transfer it between the two. The aim of this game was to strengthen hand muscles and improve visual focus. As you may notice, every toy has a “learning background”.
Moreover, I really appreciate the fact that my children are growing up bilingual. I felt it was very easy for them at this age to learn a new language.
This is/was my personal experience and subjective opinion – of course, others may feel differently.
The School System in Malta
Even though the official language is English, some subjects in state schools are taught in Maltese.
Therefore, it may be better to choose a private school that teaches 100% in English (these often offer Maltese as an optional subject if desired).
In my view, this depends largely on the age of the child. If the child grows up in Malta, learning in Maltese is naturally not an issue, as they’ve been exposed to the language from an early age. However, for older children moving to Malta, it may be more difficult. One should also bear in mind that only about 500,000 people worldwide speak Maltese – which isn’t a large number.
I am frequently asked to compare the Maltese and German school systems. Since children in Malta start school at age 5, they are ahead of their German counterparts. My eldest, for example, will be 6 years old in 3 months and can already read in both English and German (at the level expected for her age, of course).
All this might sound a bit complicated to you, as things are different from Germany. I know – at first, the system can seem a little confusing, but once you’ve looked into it, it’s no problem at all.
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to find a kindergarten or school where both you and your child feel comfortable. Once you’ve found that, the rest follows – schools are always happy to explain the system.
A practical example – experience of emigrating to Malta with a family
Let me share a real-life example of a family who moved to Malta in August 2020 with their 5-year-old son. In Germany, he was still in kindergarten and didn’t understand or speak any English. Upon arriving in Malta, he was enrolled in school, as is standard here at age 5. At first, it was difficult, as he didn’t understand the language and therefore couldn’t communicate with classmates (apart from the German ones) or the teacher. However, other German children in the class helped him. Although he was initially very restless and ran around a lot (which is perfectly normal when transitioning from kindergarten), with the help of a dedicated teacher who provided daily updates to the parents, he settled in well.
Brief interim conclusion: Yes, the initial phase is challenging for both parents and children, BUT after 5 months, this child was able to communicate in English, had made friends, and enjoyed going to school! What are 5 months in the grand scheme of things? It’s worth it.
The Maltese school system is essentially structured in the same way as the German one. I’ve created a diagram to show the ages at which children attend each school stage.
Own illustration, based on Eacea.ec.europa
Conclusion
Malta is a very safe country for children. Given the high number of “foreigners” living in Malta, both parents and children generally find it easy to connect with others. The fact that children grow up bilingually (since English is the official language in Malta) is a huge plus. While state kindergartens and schools differ from those in Germany – you always have the option of choosing a private institution that closely resembles or even exceeds German education standards.
If you have further questions about the Maltese school system, or general questions about emigrating, feel free to write them in the comments or use the contact form.
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