Education Minister Evarist Bartolo has indicated that the subject ‘Maltese as a foreign language’ will enjoy the same status and recognition as the proper SEC Maltese, and insisted standards would not be compromised.
The idea behind this new approach to teaching Malta’s native language, he said, was to make it easier for foreign students to grasp it and to offer alternate pathways to Maltese students struggling to master it.
Mr Bartolo outlined the government’s plans when the Times of Malta sought his reaction on Wednesday to the harsh criticism levelled by academics, particularly to offering Maltese as a foreign language to Maltese students.
While no definite decision has been taken so far, the Education Ministry said it would launch a public consultation, including on offering the course to Maltese students with a foreign parent.
Read: No, Maltese is not a foreign language - Chris Gruppetta
The head of the Maltese Department at the University of Malta, Bernard Micallef, has warned that giving such an option would deal a huge blow to the country’s first official language.
We must open up opportunities while maintaining standards
Concern was also expressed by renowned local author Trevor Zahra, who described the new subject as “madness” and an insult to the Constitution, as it would mean treating Maltese as a second-class language.
In his reaction on Wednesday, Mr Bartolo expressed his concern that only three out of every five 16-year-olds who sat for the Maltese SEC exams were obtaining a pass mark.
“Does this mean that to improve the pass rate we have to lower standards? Absolutely not,” he said.
Asked how teaching Maltese as a foreign language would help address this problem, the minister insisted the new subject would lead to the same level of academic achievement as existed presently, albeit in different ways.
Mr Bartolo added that he was in favour of adding Maltese as an entry requirement for university but also for the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and the Institute for Tourism Studies.
However, such a plan should be accompanied by a new pedagogical approach, he said. “We need to have alternate pathways to get certification,” he explained, drawing parallels to the recent controversy on a plan to narrow the Mellieħa Bypass.
“Are we saying that we want to do the same thing in education?
“We must open up opportunities, while maintaining standards,” he said.
On the political front, the Nationalist Party on Wednesday claimed that the proposal threatened the status of the Maltese language. the PN pointed out that there were certain obligations to be honoured, both with respect to the Constitution and to the Maltese Language Act.
In its prompt reaction, the Labour Party justified the plan, saying it targeted foreign students and the Maltese children who are failing to acquire SEC certification in this subject.
Alternattiva Demokratika also voiced harsh criticism for what it described as the shameful idea of offering Maltese as a foreign language to the Maltese.