I would like to add to the points raised by Marisa Micallef in her articles of 13 August and 11 September and that of Mr Galea Debono on the 18th regarding the University of Malta admission requirement of a Matsec pass in the Maltese language.

My spouse is German and speaks German and English. I can speak Maltese, English, Italian and a bit of German. We have two children who were bilingual by the age of two, and can communicate very well in both English and German. My wife and I converse in English and that is how our offspring have learnt the language. In most other situations my wife speaks to our children in German. That is how they learnt that language.

My work schedule does not permit me to communicate with my children in Maltese for long enough periods, and in any case there are very rare occasions when they can actually hear Maltese being spoken between two older persons. They lost their Maltese grandmother years ago and with that a source of face-to-face Maltese language exposure.

They attend a private school where most kids talk to each other in English. I have attempted to talk to my children in Maltese; the elder protests and groans, the three-year-old mimics a few Maltese words as a novelty sound but prefers to use English when talking to me.

I have little doubt that ultimately, by hook or by crook, they will get to grips with some working knowledge of Maltese but probably only as a foreign language. At this point I do not have anything against the University of Malta asking for a pass in the Maltese language exam as long as the academic level requested is equivalent to that of other foreign languages. I wholeheartedly object to the imposition of the admission requirement of a pass in the higher standard Maltese Matsec when the university subject chosen has nothing to do with the Maltese language.

Let us not beat about the bush. The Maltese language pass requirement is a loophole to prevent all other EU citizens from requesting free university education in Malta. Foreign universities require a pass in their “native language” because lectures are carried out in the language of that State. In Malta, very few subjects are taught in Maltese. Most lectures are delivered in English or English/Maltese (especially scientific and technical subjects) or English/other language.

My children were born in Malta and are Maltese citizens. Nowhere in the Constitution or the laws of Malta is it stated that Maltese speech is a prerequisite to be a Maltese citizen. Circumstances have not allowed my children to be exposed to the Maltese language frequently enough at an early age. They, and other children, are being placed at a disadvantage relative to other Maltese citizens who may have grown up knowing only the Maltese language. The latter students have to get passes in English and other foreign languages at a standard lower than that of the Maltese language Matsec exam.

There are a couple of thousand persons in Malta who have a non-Maltese parent and thousands more who know very little Maltese in spite of both parents being Maltese. When these Maltese citizens prepare to acquire the necessary admission exam passes, they are handicapped as they have to prepare for what effectively is a language that is alien to them and which is set at a higher level than other foreign languages. There is no evidence that lack of knowledge of Maltese is in any way equitable to educational sub-normality. On the contrary, knowing only Maltese is more likely to be found in the educationally deprived. Please do not misunderstand me; unilingual Maltese citizens can be very intelligent in spite of having missed a formal education.

In the run up to EU membership, we have created rules and laws that attempt to reap the benefits of EU membership without letting anything of ours slip out. The idea of having a tough Maltese exam as a prerequisite for a free university education was a shrewd idea. This “final solution” is effectively discriminating against a sizable minority of Maltese citizens who have little experience in the use of the Maltese language.

Instances of specific temporary rule changes or exemptions to accommodate some people have occurred. It is time to get creative and concoct rules that solves the dilemma of these Maltese citizens. As an example: An EU citizen may not go to another EU Member State and simply expect to live off social security handouts from the adoptive State if that person has not contributed taxes there. Similarly it should be possible to consider the current Tertiary education system as a social service and open to students who have had immediate relatives paying taxes in Malta.

In one year’s time, legal options will be sought and judgments passed that could prove disruptive to the system. Find a solution, now. Are our educators more interested in preserving the Maltese language rather than safeguarding the opportunities offered to our children?

Albert M. Bezzina

MOSTA