Parliamentary committee approves changes to Maltese Language Council

A parliamentary committee has unanimously approved proposed changes to the Maltese Language Act, affecting the make-up of the National Council for the Maltese Language.

Article 2 of the Maltese Language Act outlines the composition of the Council. Education minister Evarist Bartolo last year proposed that the number of members is extended from 11 to 13.

Together with representatives from the Academy of the Maltese Language, the Department of Maltese within the University, the Directorate of Education, the Malta Arts Council and the Institute of Journalists, the Council will now also include representatives from the Department of Translation within the University, the Broadcasting Authority, Maltese publishers, Maltese teachers and Maltese translators working in EU institutions.

A group of academics had warned that proposed legal amendments will weaken the Maltese Language Council by drastically reducing its academic input.

“Up to now, the council has had eleven members, seven of whom were qualified in Maltese and four were not necessarily specifically qualified in Maltese,” the academics said in a statement. “Following the government’s proposals, the new council should have 13 members, six of whom will be qualified in Maltese while seven will not necessarily be qualified. We do not agree that the majority of council members could be people who are not fully qualified in Maltese, our national language,” the academics had said, highlighting concerns about the proposed composition.