Education Minister Evarist Bartolo has roped in the Public Broadcasting Services as an educational tool and the ministry and state broadcaster have identified sectors to make public broadcasting an educational service for children and parents.

The DOI said Mr Bartolo has had a meeting with the PBS board when he expressed a wish for innovative methods in education, especially in the proper use of English, using radio, television and the PBS electronic site.

Mr Bartolo expressed concern at the deteriorating level of English and called for an update of the systems of teaching. He said he has already had talks with schools which teach English and which are prepared to cooperate in the idea. The PBS could plan programmes in spoken and written English which could also be shown in class, and this could be done with the cooperation of the British Council.

PBS chairman Tonio Portughese said the PBS is already in talks with the British Council. He agreed there should be effective cooperation between public broadcasting and the education sector, and mentioned RAI Scuola as a model which could be done in Malta.