The number of foreign students in Malta coming to learn English as a foreign language decreased by 2.6% in 2015 when compared to 2014, which translates into a decrease of 2,026 student arrivals.
There was also a reduction of 7,106 student weeks, which translates into a 2.9% decrease over 2014.
A spokesperson from Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations in Malta (FELTOM) said that this was “expected,” since the organisation monitors student arrivals through an independent initiative with Delloitte. Monthly barometers and quarterly reports are provided in order to carefully monitor the numbers of students, understandably so when considering that the high number of foreign students choosing Malta to learn English has made a significant contribution to the local economy for many years.
Asked if there were any particular markets which have decreased, and this explain the fewer number of students coming to Malta to learn English, the spokesperson said:
“As expected, Russia and Libya have shown substantial drops in numbers,” adding that this could be explained due to instability in the regions.
“In the case of Russia specifically, other countries like Australia, Canada and the USA are seeing an increase in the junior Russian market simply because parents are choosing destinations which offer an immigration option, should further instability arise,” the spokesperson said.
Interestingly, the spokesperson said that there has been a registered increase in new markets, such as Colombia, Turkey, Czech Republic and Brazil.
In terms of pushing up the numbers of foreign students choosing Malta, the spokesperson said that “further marketing is always helpful, and never enough,” adding that support from authorities like the Malta Tourism authority for “connectivity” and the government for Visa and residence permits goes a long way.
Turning to whether FELTOM has identified any trends with regard to foreign students opting for other countries, it was said that:
“Very few countries have the statistical data that Malta collects, which therefore makes it very difficult to provide accurate comparisons. However, countries like Ireland are reporting an overall increase in numbers which they are equating to third country national and recently adopted efficient procedures for Visas and residence permit applications.
“This may in fact reflect a reported decrease in numbers for the UK because of the strength of the British Pound and thus an increased cost of living. This explains why people are choosing other options besides the UK.”
On the thinking behind the strategies involved to attract foreign students to Malta, and whether any specific demographic have been targeted, it was revealed that:
“FELTOM’s strategy has always been and will continue to be that of firstly talking about Malta as a destination, secondly as a Centre of excellence in Education and English Language teaching, and thirdly FELTOM specifically promotes its members as quality organisations because of our accreditation scheme. This is why FELTOM has always put pressure on authorities to invest further in the unique selling point of Malta being a bilingual country through education and information campaigns.”