The massive surge in residency permits being issued to non-Maltese has created a spin-off problem – their children.

Before anyone gets carried away by the opening paragraph, we will specify exactly what that problem is – a lack of comprehension of English and/or Maltese which is causing problems for teachers and students in school.

Before the army of bigots tries to hitch a ride on the topic, it must also be made clear that the children we speak about are mostly not the children of refugees, but those who were brought along in the now infamous visa scam, as well as those who are the children of non-English speakers who live and work here legitimately.

Malta Union of Teachers President Kevin Bonello has gone on record, saying that the situation as it stands is causing strain on both teachers, as well as students because classes are being held back due to the very basic – or complete lack of understanding – of Malta’s two official languages.

He said, point blank, that the situation is causing all involved to fall back on the curriculum. So what can be done? Perhaps the best way to avoid the problem would be a proper assessment procedure to ensure that non-Maltese children are proficient in either Maltese or English so as to ensure that they can communicate in class and understand what is being taught.

If the children are deemed to be proficient enough, all well and good. If they are not, the answer is simple. Special courses should be set up – perhaps in a centralised manner – to ensure that the standard of English and/or Maltese of prospective students is up to scratch.

The Maltese government cannot be expected to set up specialised schooling for such students and home schooling or private tuition should be used to continue their general schooling. Once an evaluation is completed by the end of that scholastic year, if the child has advanced enough, then they can be filtered into mainstream education. If not, then the answer must be that they continue to attend crash courses in the two languages.

While Malta should aim to be an inclusive society which leaves no one behind, teachers and their students should not be placed in a situation where they are being held back because a couple of students in class cannot keep up because of the language barrier.

Employing learning assistants who are fluent in Arabic, Swedish, Dutch or whatever the language is simply not financially viable. The answer is to make sure that prospective students can communicate in Maltese or English or both.

With all being said, it must also be pointed out that while some of the brighter students may pick up one of our languages along the way, not knowing what is going on in the classroom will cause stress and harm to those who cannot pick up the language so easily, perhaps stunting their educational growth in the long-term. It is becoming very clear that this issue must be addressed sooner, rather than later, by the government and all involved partners, including teachers themselves.