The proposal by the Education Commissioner for the set up of a school for foreign students who do not speak English or Maltese is already present; Education and Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo told The Malta Independent.

In the Ombudsplan 2020, Charles Caruana Carabez, the Education Commissioner suggested the setting up of a new school where foreign students, who do not speak English or Maltese, are prepared to join a state school. Caruana Carabez highlights on the issue of bullying perpetrated by or against foreign students who are unable to integrate due to a lack of language skills. The Education Commissioner believes that there is a need for the creation of a school for these students to be given the ability to communicate in basic English and to be taught the basic principles of integration in society.

“What is being proposed is nothing new – we already have two hubs in Naxxar where primary and secondary school students, who do not know the Maltese or English language, attend these programmes,” explained Minister Bartolo. The minister was possibly referring to the Migrant Learners Unit, which co-ordinates the induction programme for migrant students who enter the education system with no knowledge of English or Maltese. The Unit focuses on a holistic educational experience and on the acquisition of linguistic and socio-cultural competences.

Bartolo explained that the Education Commissioner’s observations were triggered by an accident at a particular school. “His suggestions are something which we are already doing, of course it does not make sense for children to be in a classroom where they do not understand any Maltese or English; they are more prone to loneliness.”