Building capacity today is securing tomorrow

Why Malta must strengthen education beyond bricks and stipends

Education has long been one of Malta’s most important national investments. Our policy discourse on the issue has, for many years, targeted stipends, schools and the physical infrastructure that enables learning.

These elements are crucial, stipends widen access, and modern school facilities improve safety and engagement. Yet globally, education systems are undergoing a transformation that demands more than structural upkeep. They require deeper investment in what experts increasingly call capacity building; strengthening the competencies, networks and long-term foundations that allow education to adapt to an uncertain future.

This is not just a matter of academic debate. According to EY Malta’s May 2025 report, “Is the Maltese Education System Preparing for Tomorrow’s Workforce?”, the skills needed for Malta’s future labour market differ significantly from the skills we traditionally teach. Employers increasingly seek digital fluency, data literacy, problem-solving, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. 

Sustainability knowledge is becoming essential. The EY analysis highlights a gap between what schools prepare students for and what the industry actually needs. It makes the case that countries that invest in capacity as well as access will stand the best chance of prospering in the coming decades.

For Malta, a country whose competitive advantage is its people, this shift is becoming more urgent. It is made more pressing by a sobering reality: a significant percentage of Maltese students still do not manage to achieve six o-levels. Students who fall behind often struggle with foundational skills, engagement, absenteeism or pressures outside the classroom.

Why Capacity Building Matters?

Capacity building focuses on teachers’ capabilities, students’ resilience, the quality of support systems around families and long-term planning that expands opportunity. Classrooms today prepare students for jobs that may not yet exist. Adults are changing careers more frequently, meaning that lifelong learning must become normal rather than exceptional. Digital and AI tools are no longer optional and sectors like tech, engineering, life sciences, creative industries are forming an increasingly large share of our economic landscape. 

In the EY report, employers note skill shortages that cannot be addressed simply by building more classrooms. They point to the need for:

• Stronger digital and data skills

• Transveral competencies (teamwork, emotional intelligence, adaptability)

• Sustainability and green awareness

• Practical, work-based learning

• Flexible adult reskilling pathways

If Malta wants to reduce skills mismatch, boost productivity and give all students a fair chance, capacity building must become the heart of educational policy.

What is the Government doing towards capacity building?

Whilst the headlines focused on the increase in stipends for 2026, the Government has been making some early movement signals towards this capacity building mindset. 

Supporting school-community ecosystems

The expansion of the educator Outreach Programme into a broader Integrated Outreach Engagement Programme reinforces the idea that learning does not happen in isolation. Strengthening ties between schools, families, social workers and community support structures directly improves attendance, engagement and wellbeing. These issues have a significant impact on long-term academic achievement. Coupled with enhancements to the Family-Community School link, the investment supports a more holistic approach to learning. 

Digital competence, not just digital devices

In the Budget, the Government announced that around 20,000 digital devices will start to be distributed to Year 4, 7, 8 and 9 students. But the real significance is in delivering the Digital Education Strategy 2025-2030 (a strategy focused on digital pedagogy and not on hardware alone) as it should be. 

Pilots for AI-supported learning, upgrades to the iLearn platform, digital citizenship programmes, and digital bootcamps can guide students towards building effective skills that go far beyond screen time.

Curriculum transformation to meet future skills

As part of the National Educational Strategy 2024-2030 and the 2030–2050 long-term strategy worked out by the OECD, Malta is moving towards a curriculum emphasising transversal skills; critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and digital fluency. These reforms represent structural changes that can influence generations of students.

What Malta should strengthen next?

While these measures may move Malta closer to a capability-driven education system, other countries offer proven models that Malta can adapt to accelerate progress. Here are five high-impact reforms grounded in international experiences:

Strengthen and Evolve Malta’s Teacher Development & Career Pathways

Countries like Finland, Singapore and Estonia that consistently top global education rankings invest heavily in the continuous development of teachers. Malta has already taken an important step by introducing the Senior Teacher role in the latest collective agreement. This aligns with international systems that recognise advanced classroom as a leadership pathway. 

The next move is to deepen and expand this framework:

• Develop a multi-tiered career pathway beyond Senior Teacher (similar to Singapore’s Lead/Master Teacher tracks.)

• Embed professional learning communities inside schools, enabling teachers to collaborate, observe one another and innovate.

• Extend mentoring so not only new educators but also experienced teachers navigating curriculum changes or digital pedgagogies.

• Offer micro-credentials in digital teaching, AI literacy, inclusive practice and assessment design

Create a National Digital Pedagogy Corps

Countries that excel in digital learning deploy Digital Learning Coaches who support teachers and students. bMalta could establish a team of trainged digital pedgagogues to help schools integrate devices meaningfully, design digital lessons and promote safe online practices.

Make experiential and work based-learning a system-wide norm

Countries like Germany, Austria and the Netherlands reduce skills mismatch through structured workplace exposure. Malta could introduce compulsory work placements for upper secondary students, incentivise business participation and co-design programmes with industry especially in digital, green and technological sectors.

Building Capacity is Malta’s greatest investment

All these reforms matter even more in a system where 45% of students in 2024 do not reach six O-levels. However, capacity building is a long game. Malta’s success depends on deepening teacher development, strengthening leadership, embracing digital pedagogy, embedding experiential learning, and providing lifelong learning pathways that support every student, not just the high performing ones.