Guest Post: Why We Need Maltese In STEM Subjects

Il-Kotra qamet f’daqqa u għajtet “there is no use for Maltese in STEM.”

Keyboard warriors, English apologists, classists, and colonised minds flocked to express their reservedness, disgust, shock, and dismay as the worst was proposed. Early years and primary schools now have the option for teachers to teach Mathematics in Maltese alongside English with a newly published bilingual glossary.

No, not teaching Mathematics in Maltese instead of English. Not in opposition to English. Not in an unequal binary of complementary bilingualism to English (which is how the current educational system operates in favour of the English language). Alongside it – meaning it was done in the past mainly in English only, and now gives the option to teach it in our mother tongue, along with the colonial language.

If you’re wondering why I had to emphasise in simple terms the meaning of the consultation as if this post was to be read by primary students, it is because the fact that there is even this backlash in the first place is absurd.

I would have liked to write a post on how late this consultation and implementation have arrived. But I couldn’t even afford to be frustrated that it took 58 years since we became an independent country from Britain to finally take agency, overturn a colonial-rooted educational structure, and have our mother tongue be taught in the most basic subject at the earliest educational institutions alongside English.

We have nothing to celebrate but be concerned it took so long to reach this point. Instead, my frustration is focused on the dramatic response to the published glossary. Even though the outrage of a few people is not worth my time, it speaks volumes to the lack of self-awareness in recognizing how destructive and heavily invasive English has become – a testament to the deterioration of the Maltese national consciousness through the parasitic abilities of a colonized mind.

Maltese and English are both considered the official languages of the Maltese islands, while Maltese is measured as the sole national language; however, through colonial structures still prevalent and interwoven in academic, governmental, political, economic, and social institutions, the English language, in many contexts, takes dominance and prominence over Maltese.

Until now, as Maltese students learned Mathematics entirely in English, it created a lack of understanding of grammatical and phonetical use of reciting the numbers in Maltese. Going forward in life, many people have tended to use numerals in English for lack of a better understanding and teaching of the numbers in Maltese, which leads to broader, more harmful implications. This isn’t an isolated event.

In truth, the reality is much bleaker. Malta should have already had every subject applicable in STEM (and other social sciences such as Environmental Studies) taught in Maltese alongside English to the highest level.

Does this sound too extreme for you? A waste of time and resources? A complication for children to learn? Not equally vital? A step backwards? Bla sens? If you think so, these were the strong sentiments people had to the post in reference. 

Look at it this way; don’t ask yourself why Mathematics is taught in Maltese alongside English; ask why English is taught alongside Maltese in the first place. Don’t ask yourself what’s the point in learning subjects in Maltese when English is already available; ask why learning in English is seen as a sine qua non to educational and professional practices.

You’ll find that a simple answer would be an oversimplification of a rather complicated theory and history of colonizing collective consciousness perpetuated through cultural, political, social, educational, and ceremonial systems which cross a plethora of fields on the islands.

What the hell does this mean? Well, in our context, when people use English, or when English is used in the country’s foremost and highest institutions, it enables elitism and classism in its usage and does so at the expense of Maltese, forcefully affecting everything in connection to language; identity, history, politics, culture, traditions, education, ceremonies, and memory.

Why should it concern me? It contributes to the continuation of rooting out Maltese in academic spheres, governance, and jobs that require a degree, prompting people to be more comfortable in the colonisers’ language than their own.

It reinforces a class gap between people who are more affluent in English and consequently pushes Maltese below, reinforcing the age-old stereotype of informality, coarseness, and illiteracy for those who speak vernacular Maltese.

This decision isn’t radical at all. It’s conservative. Yes, English is essential. So is conserving our language by respecting it and ourselves. These two shouldn’t be working against each other – not when we are in control and at the helm of the change we want in our educational systems. And no, “You are in Malta so speak Maltese” is not a good argument. It is virtue signalling and nativist. You are not helping.

Lovin Malta is open to interesting, compelling guest posts from third parties. These opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the company. Submit your piece at [email protected]

Daryl Mifsud is a decolonial Maltese scholar finishing undergrad in the U.S.

Do you agree?