Artistic education in Malta’s schools is quite comprehensive and aims to integrate arts into the broader educational framework. Artistic subjects such as visual arts, music, drama, and dance are integrated into the national curriculum. These subjects are taught from primary through secondary education, trying to ensure that students have continuous exposure to the arts. Institutions like the Malta Visual and Performing Arts School (MVPA) offer specialised education in various art forms, including visual arts, dance, drama, media, and music. MVPA provides a dual pathway, balancing artistic education with core academic subjects. Many schools offer extracurricular programmes and clubs focused on the arts. These activities provide additional opportunities for students to explore and develop their artistic talents outside the regular curriculum. The ministry for education, along with ACM, supports various initiatives and programmes aimed at enhancing arts education. This includes funding for arts projects, professional development for teachers, and resources for schools.
ACM promotes careers in the arts starting from school level through the Art Works campaign.
The Culture Pass initiative by ACM ensures that every secondary school student in Malta experiences at least one artistic production per year. These productions are created by professional artists and presented through a curated programme. Il-Premju tal-President għall-Kreattività is managed by the Office of the President and ACM and recognises and supports organisations working with vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. It aims to increase their engagement in creativity and arts-driven projects. The Creative Communities fund supported community-led creative and artistic activities, primarily targeting local communities. It provides opportunities for training, research, and the development of artistic projects, encouraging active participation in the arts. The Arts Education scheme offered financial support for arts education projects, helping schools and educational institutions to integrate arts more effectively into their curricula.
There is a relatively significantly large private sector providing tuition and training in the arts across different art forms. They are required to be registered with the Malta Further & Higher Education Authority.
As of 2026, these include 13 dance schools, 2 arts schools (including design), 4 make-up and hairdressing, 3 performing arts, and 2 dedicated to audiovisuals. Furthermore, there are up to 50 music tutors, some of whom provide certification.
The Malta Society of Arts was established in 1852 and is Malta’s oldest institution for the promotion of the arts and crafts including through numerous educational pathways.
Providers of courses in education and training in the arts contribute to cultural and economic development. They help preserve and promote Malta’s rich cultural heritage, its appreciation and understanding, fostering a sense of identity and community. By providing professional training and education, these providers help equip individuals with the skills needed to succeed in various creative fields, thereby contributing to economic growth. Arts education supports the holistic development of students, enhancing their creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.
This is essential for personal growth and can positively impact other areas of learning. With a focus on professionalisation, arts education providers ensure that students are prepared for careers in the cultural and creative sectors (CCS). This includes not only artistic skills but also business and entrepreneurial skills necessary for a sustainable career. National initiatives and programmes aim to make arts education accessible to all, ensuring that diverse groups can participate and benefit from creative learning opportunities.
As reported in research commissioned by Arts Council Malta (ACM), the value of the arts and creativity in education is often promoted in national policies and curricular frameworks in Malta. Arts education and creativity are important both for students who aim to specialise in the arts later in life as well as when contributing towards forming an essential part of an inclusive curriculum that can guarantee the educational entitlement of each child. In parallel, arts teachers are entitled to the provision of appropriate resources, learning spaces and professional development opportunities that support them in their work with students.
The amount of time dedicated to arts education in Malta varies depending on the type of school and educational level. Some data indicate that the arts play a more dominant role in curricula in independent schools, non-formal settings specialised in the arts and in a secondary state school specialised in arts education. In the state sector, exposure to arts education in the primary sector is inconsistent while students in state middle schools are generally offered specific arts subjects for half a year. Most students in their later years of compulsory education only study the arts if they choose them as optional subjects.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected various aspects of teaching and learning the arts over a two-year period. Official instructions about social distancing and online modalities affected pedagogies in the arts. For example, some music lessons were carried out in students’ regular classrooms instead of a specialised music room, and this meant that students were not exposed to actual instruments during this period. Peripatetic arts teachers employed in the state primary sector were often instructed to replace other teachers in the primary sector, leading to a loss of educational entitlement of affected students. In some schools, arts facilities were either not used during this period or used for other purposes.
The availability of arts rooms and other resources varies a great deal. Most schools in compulsory education that were visited during this study were found to have adequate facilities for arts education, though some inconsistencies between different arts subjects were also noted. Problems associated with insufficient or inappropriate resources (such as old instruments in music classes) and spaces for learning were more in evidence in the performing arts (particularly dance) than the visual arts. Staff in a secondary state school specialised in arts education reported various problems related to the poor condition of spaces for learning in their school, particularly for the performing arts.
A number of stakeholders flagged perceptions of low status for arts subjects in educational settings, particularly in formal education. Causes identified included lack of understanding of specific subject requirements by school authorities and/or policymakers; lack of consultation; parents’ and guardians’ attitudes towards the arts; insufficient time allocated to the arts; and a greater importance granted to other subjects in the school curriculum.
A good percentage of students who responded to the questionnaire of the research carried out at the University of Malta on behalf of ACM stated that arts lessons make them feel creative (57.5%) and happy (46%). Students’ attitudes towards online teaching and learning in the arts were mixed: 24.7% of respondents reported being dissatisfied with their experience; 20.7% felt satisfied. Notably, 27.6% stated they did not attend online lessons. Some stakeholders reported a shortage of teachers in some sectors (music, for example) and related difficulties in increasing the number of lessons. Continuous professional development and upskilling in all sectors of the educational system emerged as essential to ensure that teachers remain innovative in their pedagogies.
The national cultural policy (NCP 2021) also refers to statistics published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) in 2014 that indicated that about 10 000 students, most under 17 years of age, had received some form of instruction in drama, dance or music from 188 schools teaching performing arts. At the time, these schools employed 400 full-time and part-time teachers. In the light of these figures, the policy noted that a process of regularisation was required to secure licensing, quality assurance and accreditation across the private sector in arts education.
European statistics from 2021 show that the apportionment of time for Expressive Arts (Visual and Performing Arts) in the early years cycle accounts for two hours per week which takes only 5% of overall instruction time, and that teachers can decide to dedicate more time to particular subjects if they believe it will benefit their pupils. Moreover, in Maltese state secondary schools, no arts lessons are offered to pupils who opt out of art or music as optional subjects.
It is further noted that in middle and secondary schools, the presence of a stronger staff complement of arts teachers is highly necessary. Such shortages could be due to the status or general perceptions about the arts, as one stakeholder commented: ‘To date, through my full time profession within formal secondary education, I am aware that the common perception of heads of schools and parents is that arts subjects are ‘less important’ than other academic subjects.’
The first national cultural policy issued in 2011 (NCP2011) acknowledged the value of arts and cultural education and dedicated a chapter to creative education.* NCP 2011 coincided with the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) issued in 2012 and reflects relatively contiguous developments in arts education. When put into the context of the specific cultural, educational and social factors at the time, together with the status of the arts as well as data about arts education, one may note how educational practices in Malta have not lived up to the expectations set out by these documents. Furthermore, the policy documents were limited in their outlook on the aims of arts education.
The NCF includes brief references to the role of arts education, alongside other general areas such as humanities and science and technology. In the section dedicated to visual and performing arts, the framework notes that this learning area, including art, music, drama and dance, provides opportunities for learners to be ‘creative and imaginative, to experience enjoyment and inspiration, and to develop skills in the visual and performing arts.’ This section refers to the transferability of skills gained in arts education to different areas of learning, but it does not expand on the social, political and civic dimensions of the arts.
While the idea that students enjoy themselves while engaging in creative activities is certainly important, there is a risk that linking arts education exclusively to enjoyment might relegate all creative domains to mere distractions from whatever is generally perceived to be more ‘serious’ or crucial to children’s educational development. Such conclusions about the ‘peripheral’ or subservient nature of arts education could be further strengthened with suggestions that the arts exist ‘to underpin and enrich learning in other curriculum areas.‘
The fourth priority of NCP2021 recommends improving artistic and cultural education in compulsory education as well as promoting an interdisciplinary approach in school curricula. It recommends representing diverse forms of cultural expression and the inclusion of arts education as a cross-curricular area that runs through the wider educational framework. Special emphasis is made on arts education acting as a pillar of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). It also advocates for the introduction of ‘the role of community cultural mediators at local government level who can facilitate creative activity to reflect the more diverse cultures in our communities.’
In principle, this is in line with Article 10 of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, which states that parties should ‘encourage and promote understanding of the importance of the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, inter alia, through educational and greater public awareness programmes.’
*Malta Parliamentary Secretariat for Tourism, the Environment and Culture. 2011. National Cultural Policy 2011.
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