Maltese as a foreign language should have lower standing, language bodies argue

Children with only one non-Maltese parent or guardian should be expected to learn Maltese as a native language rather than the new Maltese as a foreign language (MFL) qualification, 12 language bodies said on Sunday.  

In a statement on Sunday, the organisations referred to the document “The National Policy for the Teaching of Maltese as a Foreign Language in the Framework of Bilingualism and Plurilingualism 2019”, published by the Ministry for Education and Employment.

The bodies - including the National Council for the Maltese Language, and the University and Junior College departments of Maltese and English - said they did not agree that migrant children, or children who had one parent in possession of a foreign ID card, should be assessed, before entering the third year of primary school, to determine whether they required lessons in MFL or in Maltese.

Students living in Malta with only one Maltese parent or custodian were in an ideal situation to learn Maltese and to study it as a native language, thereby achieving integrated bilingualism with adequate knowledge of both languages, they said.

'Exams should not have same standing'

They noted that while the document mentioned...