“Learning foreign languages is a must to address educational and labour market demands,” said Minister for Education Justyne Caruana.

The Minister was addressing a virtual meeting of the working group for the promotion of foreign languages, during which she also highlighted that, “Malta has always had a multilingual nature and foreign language learning is a strength in our local system which needs to be sustained.”

The working group, chaired by Dr Mario Pace, Senior Lecturer of Languages and Humanities Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta, discussed the teaching of foreign languages in tertiary schools and institutions. Representatives of foreign embassies also participated.

Minister Caruana provided a background of our country where languages are involved, explaining that Malta is a country with a population that embraces languages – and we should be proud that as a population we are literate in more than our mother tongue, the Maltese language.

She said that “we are natural polyglots and that is why over the centuries Malta was indeed at the very centre of civilisation.”

Dr Caruana went on to say that the wish to foster plurilingual and intercultural competences in the Maltese educational system is a response to European linguistic and cultural diversity and an increasing need for mobility and employability.

“Bilingualism and plurilingualism also entail economic advantages – jobs are more easily available for those who speak several languages, and multilingual companies have a better competitive edge than monolingual ones,” she added.

Learning foreign languages is a must in light of changing educational and labour market demands as well as growing mobility between countries which favour citizens who are able to speak two or more languages, the Minister said.

Minister Caruana stressed that the Ministry for Education recognises the importance of linguistic diversity and supports language learning as a lifelong task, essential for economic competitiveness and inclusive societies.

As Minister for Education, Dr Caruana said that she strongly believes in the promotion of foreign languages for various reasons, even for the enhancement of one’s personality and development, as languages increase communication and also help students be more confident while also opening their minds to new cultures.

Minister Caruana said that this week together with the National Literacy Agency she will be launching the Language Policy for Junior Years. This policy strives to provide learners with opportunities to have positive attitudes towards Maltese, English and other languages.

Dr Caruana concluded by saying that she remains committed to see to the promotion of foreign languages in our education system and beyond.

Photo: DOI/Clodagh O’Neill

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