Third of students sitting for O levels not studying languages

Close to a third of all 16-year-olds sitting for O levels are not opting to study foreign languages, with figures dropping further at the post-secondary level. Official data shows that of the 3,716 students who sat for the Sec exams last year, 766 did not study any foreign language. Another 539 did not sit for any exam, bringing the total number of 16-year-olds who did not study any language apart from Maltese and English to 1,305. This amounts to 30 per cent of the population born in 2000. Another 15 to 20 per cent of those who opted to study a foreign language failed to obtain a pass or did not show up for the exam. Expressing concern at the number of students leaving compulsory schooling without foreign language skills, senior lecturer Mario Pace told the Times of Malta that the situation was even more worrying at higher levels. This year, only 189 students from all post-secondary institutions opted to study Italian, French, Spanish, German or Arabic at the advanced level. Another 292 opted to study a foreign language at the intermediate level. According to Dr Pace, these figures did not represent individual students. In reality, the numbers could be even lower. “A Eurostat...