Universal Periodic Review of Malta

  • Broken Chalk is a non-profit organisation with one main goal – To protect human rights in education. The organisation started with a website and articles and is currently working on multiple projects, each aiming to fight human rights violations in the educational sphere. As the UPR is related to human rights violations, inequalities, human trafficking, and other violations, Broken Chalk prepares this article for the 45th session regarding Malta.
  • The principles, aims, objectives, and regulations of the education system in Malta are laid down in Education Acts Chapters 327 and 605 of the Laws of Malta and pegged to the Malta Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning. State, Church and Independent schools provide education. It comprises childcare (for children 0-3 years old), two years of kindergarten (for 3-5-year-olds), 11 Years of compulsory education including six years of Primary school (mainly for 5-11-year-olds), a 2-year orientation cycle (middle school, for children aged 11-13) and a 3-year cycle of specialisation (secondary school, for children aged 13-16-year-olds), during which students pursue academic or vocational subjects.
  • Malta is committed to providing quality education for its population. However, like many countries, Malta faces educational challenges that impact the effectiveness and inclusivity of its education system. Recognising and addressing these challenges is crucial for fostering an equitable and high-quality education system that prepares students for the demands of the modern world.

By Asha Ouni

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45th_Session_UN-UPR_Country_Review_Malta

Cover image by Gian Luca Sgaggero.

Universal Periodic Review of Germany

  • Broken Chalk drafted this Report to contribute to Germany’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). This Report discusses the main challenges Germany faces regarding education and offers recommendations based on those challenges.
  • The German education system comprises preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary education. Furthermore, although education is compulsory at the primary and secondary levels (until age 15), German education generally lasts until age 18.
  • Moreover, the German education system is mainly run by the State (more precisely, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research) and is free to attend.
  • Globally, Germany ranks high in education, and the PISA report shows that German students generally have good well-being.[i] However, as this report will show, among other things, there are inequalities between the highest- and the lowest-performing students. This inequality is mainly due to socioeconomic disparities in the country.[ii]

by Asha Ouni & Camille Boblet-Ledoyen

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44th_Session_UN-UPR_Country_Review_Germany

[i] PISA Report, A. Schleicher, “PISA 21018”, ECD 2019.

[ii] G. Buswell, “The German Education System”, EXPATICA, 11 January 2023.

Cover image by Maheshkumar Painam on Unsplash.