The work of a small NGO, the English-Speaking Union, was thrust in the spotlight last week after it was informed that its service contract with the Department of Education, which  has been renewed annually for more than a decade, would not be renewed.

In the large scheme of things, this may be insignificant – €40,000 (which was upped only in the current contract from the previous annual €30,000). So why all the fuss?

Several principles are at stake. First of all, do we want to continue to strive to retain our competitiveness as a nation in spoken English? Secondly, do we want our young people to be confident in the way they express themselves (both in English and Maltese). Thirdly, do we want them to have ‘soft’ skills in speaking in public and debating that are so useful as they progress through their academic journeys and at work?

The ESU Malta does not ‘just’ teach English. We teach communication skills, effective language use, public speaking and debating. None of these skills are on the national curriculum, so the Department of Education is not obliged to provide them. This is why ESU Malta decided to step in and fill a much-needed niche. Several education ministers over the years have appreciated the work we have done.

Starting with Dolores Cristina, Evarist Bartolo, Owen Bonnici and Justyne Caruana – we have worked with all of them. When I met Clifton Grima after the last election, he was enthusiastic about carrying our project forward and asked us to come up with a proposal that would tie us in for the next three years.

This is all positive political decision-making. We are not expecting the minister to blindly accept what we propose – expanding from the current two gradually to some 13 schools (depending on size) of the department’s choice (taking on the necessary staff to provide the service). We were happy to sit down and discuss but this is where he appears to have been wrongly advised and we were left in limbo until we were informed last week that the contract would not be renewed.

Speak to anyone in education (and the students themselves) who have been exposed to these skill sets and you will see a striking difference in their self-confidence and the way they get along with what they want to achieve. We are constantly amazed how, in such a short time, a shy, introvert three-year-old becomes an articulate, outgoing six-year-old ready to transition to a new school; how our young adults, the leaders of tomorrow, grasp the concepts of debating and can articulate their thoughts elaborately.

The ESU Malta does not ‘just’ teach English. We teach communication skills, effective language use, public speaking and debating- Malcolm Naudi

Way back, when Martin Scicluna chaired ESU and, later, John Degiorgio before I took over the stewardship of ESU Malta in 2015, we identified the need for these three- to six-year-olds to be exposed to English in the context of play, communication and discussion. When you expand language in children of that age, when 90 per cent of their brains are being developed, you expand their thinking.

No peer review has ever been conducted of the work we do at Żabbar Primary School A or a Valletta Primary (from last year) because we refused to divide the classes in half and only teach half the class (in effect treating the children as guinea pigs). A study was conducted again by the Centre for English Language Proficiency at the University of Malta and the Education Department has sent its assessors periodically.

No study has been conducted of our public speaking and debating courses. We’ve been observed and we’ve always been found to be excellent, useful and impactful. We have several quotes from teachers and students to attest to this. The department also has internal documents praising our courses and their effects.

In conclusion, ESU Malta is prepared to carry on for another year in line with its 2021-2022 contract. Should we be stopped now, we are going to be abandoning the children at two primary schools and letting down a record number of students who have enrolled for our public speaking and debating academies in sixth form colleges around the island. ESU Malta also faces the prospect of having to cease its operations and that is another story.

The department is telling the minister it can do all these things itself. It has had 10 years to do so and, yet, the human resources have been lacking and, should they be sourced, at what cost to the taxpayer?

We strongly believe that ESU Malta is offering these essential services to the nation at the most competitive price since we are obtaining certain services for free as an NGO with a social purpose. This is a win-win for the nation and, yet, we want to turn our backs on it.

Malcolm Naudi is the chair of the English-Speaking Union (Malta).