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Lately I have published some Maltese educational books that introduce language and grammar and also a Maltese alphabet poster.
Wanting to know the diffusion of the Maltese language in Australia, I took some material with me when I recently went with my family to visit Melbourne and Sydney. They liked the material I had with me, and so I asked them about the kind of books they use with their students.
It wasn’t something to write home about; in fact they have to produce most of the lessons themselves. I was invited to visit schools in both states, and it was heart-warming to see students of all ages wanting to learn Maltese. The dedication and effort by all the teachers was also apparent.
For the past few years, the Australian government has been sponsoring the teaching of a language other than English to keep alive the culture of the different ethnicities that make up Australia. And the Maltese language is one of them along with many others.
Now it is up to the Languages Department of the University of Malta to formulate the syllabus for the teaching of Maltese as a second language.
It is an urgent matter and a bit overdue since hundreds of Maltese-Australians are being taught without an official approved programme by the University of Malta. They lack educational resources and the latest grammatical updates issued by the Akkademja.
The one off-funding for the syllabus and maybe teacher training by the University, can easily be borne by some sponsors from Malta and Australia.
We ought to be responsible for teaching the approved version of Maltese to all those who wish to learn it, be they in Malta or abroad.
Miriam Cassar
Zejtun
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