The decision by the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations in Malta (Feltom) to set up an accreditation scheme for English taught as a foreign language is a good one that should inspire more confidence in the local market.

In today’s day and age, any accreditation shows that an organisation has put a lot of effort into its own set-up and that it has not only reached certain standards, but pledges to maintain them

The standard of English taught in Malta is a good one, we are, after all a bilingual country.

However, it must be pointed out that as with every industry that pops up in Malta, there was a huge element of copying.

Someone saw that there were a couple of large language schools, and as per usual, many jumped on the bandwagon and decided to do the same.

This did eventually lead to a slump in the quality of service offered as there were so many different schools opening in a rush to take in their first summer’s worth of students.

However, in the early 90s, the authorities introduced national minimum teaching standards. This led to better regulation of the market, ensuring that no cowboy operations would tarnish Malta’s growing name in the European market for purposes of language travel.

In 1996, Malta was in fact the first nation to pass legislation directly related to the English language travel market.

Feltom, which has always tried to be pro-active in the way it tackles the subject, recently reviewed its academic and student welfare codes of conduct. But it did not stop there.

It decided to follow up its endeavours with the introduction of an accreditation scheme. Feltom said that its members were all in favour of the introduction of the scheme, and rightly so. An accreditation is looked at by customers, especially bulk buyers, as a seal of approval.

This means that when looking for schools to allocate students in, the foreign branches of language schools will immediately start giving preference to those schools that are accredited.

Accreditation, however, needs to be done seriously.

Any such scheme that is not properly implemented will automatically have a negative effect because it will drag the industry’s whole name down with it.

One should, however, be confident as Feltom and local operators already know this. The accreditation scheme is, at present, still voluntary and is being subsidised so as to encourage uptake, which is another positive fact.

It will become mandatory in 2007 and will cost operators between euro 700 and euro 1,750, depending on student complement.

Schools will be audited according to the accreditation criteria every three years.

Again, although serious operators keep their institutions up to scratch constantly, some might let go a little bit in the interim period between inspections. Perhaps shortening this period, or allowing the option for snap inspections to be made could help bolster the standards of service.

All in all, it is a very good move and Feltom has already stated that the scheme will be a dynamic one that responds to changes in the market rather than remaining static.

This new scheme should provide the local market with a tool to better advertise its standards in the field, while at the same time providing peace of mind for prospective students who may want to learn English in Malta.