A document – The Language Policy for Primary Years in Malta and Gozo – has been officially launched today following a public consultation.

The Education Ministry explained that the document has been designed to offer direction and support in the use of languages in the curriculum and the teaching of languages in the years following the early years, i.e. primary.

The general objective of this policy is to promote and strengthen the bilingualism of all children in the Primary Years (between 7 and 11 years old).

“This is an important document that continues to build on work done in the past years and gives the deserved importance of languages and how they provide many opportunities to children and young people, facilitate development and help society,” said Education Minister Grima. He also mentioned the work being done to spread the Maltese language and strengthen the national identity.

The Minister stated that “the importance of language as the best means of communication and therefore essential for our country to continue developing in all areas of life: economically, socially, in education and innovation, is the basis of this a document.”

He added that it is “a document that strengthens the Maltese sociolinguistic context which is endowed with a long history of bilingualism and an environment that is becoming increasingly multilingual.”

This policy continues to build on ‘The Linguistic Policy for the Early Years’ and has been specially designed to give clear direction on how languages can be used in the Primary years (between 7 and 11 years).

It promotes the learning of Maltese and English in a “rich multilingual context,” the Minister said. It contains recommendations on how children, parents, guardians, school administrators and teacher educators can be protagonists in the operation of bilingualism.

The policy was drawn up on the recommendations of the Ministerial Committee for Linguistic Policy in Education, after a wide public consultation was held and Charles L. Mifsud, Lara Ann Vella and David Muscat worked on it.

During the launch, Professor Charles L. Mifsud, Chairperson of the Linguistic Policy Committee in Education, stressed the need for proper use of languages in the Primary years so that intercultural and international communication be effective.

He said that “language is the most powerful tool to spread peace and understand each other more in a society that is becoming increasingly multilingual.”

Photo: DOI/Omar Camilleri

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