English language teaching, a success story

July and August are the two peak months of the year for both incoming and outgoing tourism. Over the past 35 years Malta has managed to position itself as one of the leading destinations within the European Union for the teaching of English. The first groups of students to study English came from Germany in 1981. At that time the total number of visitors from that country was fewer than 20,000.

English language teaching has now become a stand-alone pillar and a niche sector within the tourism industry as well as a predominant contributor to an ever-evolving education sector. Last year the number of foreign students attending English language courses at local specialised schools reached almost 77,000, making up an estimated 11.7 per cent of the total tourist guest nights and a 9.8 per cent of total tourist expenditure.

Besides the contribution toward our nation’s economy there is also the inter-culture aspect. Malta as their host country during the time of their studies here also gains from the mix of the diverse cultures which enrich Malta’s openness. Through such interaction, our own students and teachers and those who come in contact with the visiting students can better understand and appreciate others’ way of thinking, and of doing things. We all know of stories, which could easily inspire a ‘Mills and Boon’ author, of students who met in Malta while studying English, got married and return to visit Malta with their children and extended families. This, to us, is an important unmeasured non-monetary value.  

Over the past few years there has been a well thought-out shift within this sector. What first started as a destination where Malta attracted young people where they could enjoy summer fun in a country with an ideal climate, plenty of sunshine, sandy beaches, deep blue sea, and all night parties – and as an aside learn English, now through the introduction of more up to date regulations, Malta has become synonymous with an all year quality destination of repute for those wanting to learn English.

Previously the pitch to attract students to this sector was more tourism oriented, now it is more accentuated towards the quality of teaching, with leisure and ‘the good life’ considered as secondary. The English Language Council (ELT) within the Education Ministry, which was introduced in 2015 together with extensive updated legislation, regulates every aspect of the industry from tuition, student accommodation and related services, to ensure that the desired high quality is consistent and constant. In addition, FELTOM, the English language schools association of Malta, implements an accreditation scheme to complement the supervision of the ELT Council. This not only ensures good supervision but also close coordination with the players in the industry to sustain a high all round product delivery.  

The majority of students attending English language courses in Malta now come from Italy, Germany and France, making up for almost half of all student arrivals. Malta has also managed to penetrate new send destinations besides the traditional countries. These include countries such as Turkey, Brazil and Columbia. Last year July and August were the busiest months, with 28,280 student arrivals. It is forecast that this trend will also prevail this year. The most popular course offered by specialised schools for English language is ‘General English’, followed by the ‘Intensive English’ courses. The majority of students, almost one third, resided with a host family, thus contributing to additional income supplement to these families.  

The number of teaching staff in English language specialised schools has now reached circa 1,500. In addition these schools also employ more than 900 other non-teaching staff. Many others are employed indirectly through the services supply and support chain. These are all very significant numbers.

The process to achieve these good results has been one of nurturing and evolution. It is thanks to the effort and hard work of all those involved, the industry players with whom the Education Ministry retains an excellent rapport, that the English language teaching sector has reached this milestone. The future looks bright, but we should continue to work hard and rise to the opportunities and challenges which will loom from time to time.

Indeed the government will continue to ensure that what has been achieved will continue to flourish in the coming years. The Ministry for Education together with the Ministry for Tourism remains committed to retain and improve both the standards as well as the promotion of Malta to further expose this sector globally. We are resolute to continue to build and expand on this success story working closely with the schools and all those stakeholders involved in this growing education and economic sector.