Importance of Maltese <i>and</i> English stressed

Education Minister Louis Galea yesterday stressed that "as important as it is to speak Maltese, it is essential to master the English language".

It would be a grave mistake to reduce the importance of English in order to promote Maltese, he said.

Dr Galea was delivering the closing address at a seminar organised to get feedback on the draft law on the Maltese language, which was published in the Government Gazette on Tuesday and provided for the setting up of the National Council for the Maltese Language to promote Maltese.

During the seminar at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, attended by linguists, educators and representatives of Maltese language and literature NGOs, the issues of preserving the national language and of having exams and university lectures in Maltese were raised from the floor.

But Dr Galea stressed that the Maltese language should not be preserved to the detriment of English, which was part of Malta's history and patrimony.

In his speech, he reminded the audience that English was also the official language.

"If we lose Maltese, we lose our identity. But losing English, which is vital to us, would also amount to a grave loss," he said.

The two languages should "not be placed in confrontation with each other", Malta being, after all, a bilingual country, Dr Galea said, adding that the ministry was embarking on the critical analysis of every single subject taught in Malta's schools and was starting off with English.

The law, which is to be discussed in Parliament in the coming weeks, would be "turning a page in the chapter of Maltese language", Dr Galea said.

The issue of women's participation on the council was brought up - women not yet playing a significant role in the field, which was primarily male-dominated.

The incorrect use of Maltese in the media was also a bone of contention, as was the issue of penalising those who used it incorrectly.

The law on the Maltese language was first discussed when Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici was Education Minister in the early Nineties. It has been drafted on the basis of a document, compiled by a board that spanned three ministers and was presented in 2001.

It was the result of extensive research and consultation and everything had been done to obtain the widest consensus possible.

Dr Galea said it was now time to implement the law, which would create an effective structure - the council - backed by experts in the field. It was the first time Malta would have a national council for its language.

Its role would be to draw up a national plan to strengthen the language in education, broadcasting, the media, in the courts and in political, administrative, economic, social and cultural life.

It would be composed of 11 people, appointed by the Prime Minister, with the President as chairman.

A full-time executive director would be employed by the government and the council would be given a seat from which to operate.

It would include representatives of several sectors including the University, L-Akkademja tal-Malti, the Education Division, the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, the Attorney General, the Ghaqda tal-Malti and The Malta Press Club.

The law gave the council total autonomy on technical and scientific decisions, Dr Galea said.

Once it was set up, he appealed to its partners to use the law to "enlighten and educate"; to act as wardens, but also as motivators.

A copy of the bill may be downloaded from the Internet: www.education.gov.mt/ministry/doc/laws.htm