FELTOM, the Federation for English Language Teaching in Malta, has welcomed the recent announcements made by government regarding the lifting and easing of a number of Covid-19 related measures.
“As the year advances, FELTOM is filled with cautious optimism that this may truly be the year when the industry will begin its road to recovery. The recognition of vaccination certificates is vital to our industry and its service providers, as agents are once again considering Malta and its local English Language Teaching (ELT) schools for educational travel. “
However, the industry benefits from the recognition of said certificates when the country nationals are eligible to enter Malta, the federation said in a statement. “Therefore, FELTOM would like to urge the relevant authorities to include educational travel on the list of exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers in possession of a recognised vaccine certificate from dark red zone countries. To capitalise on this opportunity, FELTOM has planned two market-specific online workshops, where agents will have the opportunity to meet virtually with ELT schools and sponsors.”
The ELT industry “continues to strongly feel that as a niche, it was singled out from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when stringent industry specific measures were immediately introduced and that are still in place today.” FELTOM expressed its discontent on this matter in a recently filed judicial protest letter.
“The ongoing requirement for social distancing in classrooms and limited loading on private transport vehicles raises concerns, as they are inconsistent with the lifting of measures within other sectors of the hospitality industry. If said measures are not lifted imminently, they will once again burden the schools by limiting the number of ELT travellers they can accommodate.”
“Such industry-specific restrictions are also proving to be grounds for concern for agents looking to promote Malta as an ELT destination. They fear that this continued singling out of this market may result in yet another closure. It is important that the relevant authorities appreciate that our industry is extremely sensitive to any government decisions, especially during this period, due to the heightened awareness of foreign partners vis-a-vis the unilateral closure of solely English language schools in July 2021.”