Activist Miirko Sant Proposes Mandatory Maltese For All Sixth Form And University Students
Local activist Miirko Sant has called for mandatory Maltese lessons to all sixth form and university students.
The young activist has drafted a manifesto, has already presented his proposals to Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg and Opposition Leader Bernard Grech, and plans to meet Prime Minister Robert Abela in the near future.
One of his more eye-catching proposals is that Maltese should be made mandatory at sixth form and university, similar to the English proficiency study unit that was introduced at UoM a few years ago.
Miirko warned that the Maltese language is “isolated” on an educational level after secondary school.
“The only sixth form subjects that are taught in Maltese are Maltese itself and religion, both of which are optional subjects,” he said.
“This means that many students aren’t exposed to academic Maltese after they turn 16, leading many young people to lose confidence and fluency in both written and spoken Maltese.”
He said that if it isn’t possible for sixth-form students to be taught their subjects in Maltese, they should be given mandatory Maltese lessons every week or two weeks. He said these lessons should focus less on grammar and more on speaking, writing, and discussing current affairs.
Miirko went on to say that such mandatory Maltese lessons should be extended to university, particularly to first-year students.
“Practically every course at the University of Malta is in English, including the law course – which is paradoxical seeing that Maltese is the language of the law courts. This is creating a split between theory and practice and an imbalance between our official and academic languages.”
Besides mandatory Maltese classes for all students, he said that full-time foreign students should sit for modules in basic Maltese and that certain lectures and seminars, such as in the law course, should be held in Maltese.
Miirko also called for the enforcement of Maltese use at private secondary schools.
“I have met many youths who went to private schools and who weren’t capable of holding a basic conversation in Maltese,” he said.
“This isn’t only a shame on a cultural level but on a social level too; there are Maltese youths who don’t understand the language of the people they live with.”
“It cannot be that our education system allows this and that Maltese is considered non-essential. The Education Ministry should properly enforce spoken and written Maltese in independent and church schools.”
“Schools should be monitored and if they consistently fail to reach the necessary standards, they should lose “certain academic and accreditation privileges.”
“This isn’t an attack on private schools, but a recognition that our national language should be safeguarded on a national level. The education system should ensure that no one is excluded from their own identity.”
Do you agree with this proposal?
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