In 2025, Malta's Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examinations included Chinese (Mandarin) as an official subject for the first time, joining new subjects such as Maltese (as a foreign language), Drama, Dance, and Core Science, marking a key step for this small Mediterranean nation toward diversification and internationalization in secondary education.
In the inaugural Chinese examination, a total of 57 candidates registered; most candidates chose the higher difficulty levels and achieved impressive results——Among the 55 students who registered for levels 2 and 3, 33 achieved the highest grade.
This is not only a "successful start" for an examination, but also reflects the steadily rising attention in Maltese society toward the Chinese language and China.
For Chinese families, Malta is not only a country where "Chinese appears in secondary school exams," but also a pro-China, high-quality educational environment, and a highly cost-effective European permanent residency destination.
Signals Behind an Examination
Malta is Actively Embracing the Chinese-Speaking World
According to the arrangements of the Malta Examinations Department (MATSEC), Chinese Mandarin has been officially included as a subject in the SEC examinations starting from 2025, as part of the national curriculum system, providing a systematic Chinese learning path for local students.
There are several points in this examination session that deserve special attention from Chinese families:
High proportion of private candidates: This means that the interest in Chinese in local Maltese society is not just a "trend," but stems from practical needs such as employment, business, and interpersonal communication.
Ethnic Chinese students "optimize their track" by taking Chinese as a second foreign language: With the increase in new Chinese immigrants in recent years, many ethnic Chinese secondary school students choose to take the exam in their native language, Chinese, when fulfilling the compulsory "second foreign language" requirement, in order to more stably obtain higher scores and add points for further education, which is rare among European countries.
Policy level views Chinese as one of the "globalization capabilities": In Malta's educational philosophy, Chinese is regarded as one of the key languages for enhancing "global foreign language proficiency" and "employment competitiveness," laying the foundation for future study, work, and business in China.
For Chinese families, this means: choosing Malta not only allows children to receive an British-style education, but also enables them to "convert" their Chinese proficiency into exam scores and advantages for further education while attending secondary school locally.
Education and Language
Opening "Two Doors, East and West" for Children Simultaneously
Malta's characteristics in education and language environment are very consistent with the long-term planning of Chinese families for their children's education:
• English + Maltese dual official languages: English is one of the official languages, and English is used comprehensively in schools, medical, and business environments, allowing children to grow up in a pure English environment.
• A complete education system from secondary school to university: The education system is well-developed, and some courses are deeply aligned with the British and EU systems.
• Chinese enters the national examination system: Including Chinese as an official subject at the SEC stage not only facilitates ethnic Chinese students but also makes it convenient for local students to learn Chinese systematically, laying the groundwork for future engagement with the Chinese market.
For families who hope to "not lose Chinese, be strong in English, and still have a European education channel," Malta's comprehensive configuration in education is very rare.
The World's Only "Four-in-One"
One Identity, a Passport to Four Circles
Malta has a label that is widely circulated in the industry——"The world's only four-in-one country":
• EU Member State
• Eurozone Member State
• Schengen Area Member State
• Commonwealth Member State
For families holding Maltese permanent residency or planning for further status in the future, this means:
✓ Based in the EU: Live, work, and study in Malta, and enjoy the stable institutional environment of an EU member state.
✓ Travel freely in Schengen: With Maltese residency status, you can achieve visa-free or convenient travel in the 29 countries of the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any 180-day period, which is very suitable for business people and "European tours."
✓ Enjoy the convenience of the Eurozone: As the unified currency, the Euro makes fund arrangements, asset allocation, consumption, and investment more convenient.
✓ Superimposed advantages of the Commonwealth system: The Commonwealth has synergistic advantages in education and business cooperation, providing more convenience for families' international planning.
Simply put: one Maltese identity simultaneously links the "living circle," "education circle," and "business circle" of Europe, and superimposes the institutional and resource advantages of the Commonwealth system.
Driven by multiple factors such as educational resources, language environment, international atmosphere, and institutional advantages, Malta's attractiveness to Chinese families is constantly increasing.Under the current policy, one person invests, and the whole family of four generations can apply for Maltese permanent residency.
As one of the Top 500 Asian Brands, WorldWay Group has been focusing on investment immigration for over 20 years. As an active promoter of European investment immigration projects, it has maintained good interaction with the Maltese government for many years and is your trusted choice for handling Maltese immigration.
