Eurydice

2026

Expansion of regulations to combat staff shortages in childcare

Since 2022, nurseries and after-school care centres have been allowed to fill half of their professional staff positions with trainees. Previously, this was one-third. This was a temporary expansion of the rules to reduce staff shortages in childcare and ease the workload. The State Secretary of Participation and Integration now wants to make this expansion permanent. The new rules will come into force on 1 July 2026.

This chapter provides a thematic and chronological overview of national reforms and policy developments since 2023. The introduction of the chapter describes the overall education strategy and the key objectives across the whole education system. It also looks at how the education reform process is organised and who are the main actors in the decision-making process.
The section on ongoing reforms and policy developments groups reforms in the following broad thematic areas that largely correspond to education levels:

Key Features of the Education System

Educational policy is created at the central level. The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation is responsible for the overall educational policy.

Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Periods

A curriculum is composed of general and specific part.

Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

In accordance with the General Law on Education, curricula are composed of general and special part.

The general part includes:

Key features of the education system

This chapter provides a thematic and chronological overview of national reforms and policy developments since 2021. The introduction of the chapter describes the overall education strategy and the key objectives across the whole education system. It also looks at how the education reform process is organised and who are the main actors in the decision-making process. The section on ongoing reforms and policy developments groups reforms in the following broad thematic areas that largely correspond to education levels:

Definition of Target Group

The following target groups are related to courses organised by the directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability (DRLLE)

1. Persons over the age of 60 years in possession of a Senior Citizens Card (Kartanzjan);

2. Persons with very low literacy (English and Maltese) and numeracy;

3. Persons who have been declared to be financially disadvantaged; and