MUT President calls for implementation of language policy at state schools

Government should be implementing a language policy in state schools ensuring lessons, where possible, are taught in Maltese, Malta Union of Teachers President Marco Bonnici has said.

He resisted the notion that Maltese and foreign students be separated so they can learn through languages they understand, saying it goes against the principle of integration and inclusion, but would also be logistically impossible to carry out.

Bonnici was speaking during an interview with MaltaToday in the wake of the shocking stabbing of a 14-year-old student, where the victim and attacker were both Libyan nationals.

The attacker’s nationality has prompted wide-spread xenophobia on social media portals, but has also raised questions on state schools’ preparedness to adjust to the new cultural realities.

The attacker has since been charged and pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, grievous injury, carrying a weapon and keeping an explosive substance.

But Bonnici’s concern wasn’t rooted in xenophobia or a fear that Maltese nationals will become minorities in their own country, as is frequently pushed by far-right rhetoric, with the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) president acknowledging exposing children to different beliefs and cultures can be beneficial.

According to the MUT President, whereas state schools were the only schools where Maltese is the language of instruction, which refers to the language in which most subjects are taught, the majority of staff now communicate with students in English.

After the interview, Bonnici was speaking candidly about this phenomenon, where he noted that even though it is associated with double insularity, even Gozitan state schools are coming to terms with a growing number of non-Maltese speakers.

In fact, figures tabled in parliament this month show 18% of primary school students in Gozo are foreign, while a similar rate of 17.8% of kindergarten students in Gozo aren’t Maltese.

Other statistics tabled by Education Minister Clifton Grima show the share of foreign students in some Maltese primary schools are quite higher.

For instance, 23.7% of students in Mosta’s two primary schools are foreign, and 20% of Attard’s primary students are foreign.

The figure jumps to 30% when examining the share of foreign primary school students in Valletta, Floriana, Marsa, Ħamrun, Santa Venera, and Pieta.

The share of foreign students then slumps to 19.7% in tertiary education institutions such as the University of Malta. Similar data relating to MCAST students was unclear.

During the interview, Bonnici clarified foreign students are being taught a different Maltese language course tailored specifically for them, describing the initiative as a beneficial one. But he warned that Maltese isn’t only learned through lectures.

That is why, he argued, the implementation of a language policy in schools is beneficial and needed.