Teaching English to Maltese Students
The first English exam that our students officially take is known as the SEC exam. “SEC” stands for Certificate of Secondary Education and students are generally between the ages of 16 and 18 when presented. SEC is the equivalent of the old level ‘O’ in English. This test assesses fluency, grammar, sentence structure and the originality of the Maltese student’s use of the English language. Consider that the Maltese student has English as a second language. I do not agree with this perception.
Two decades ago, Maltese society considered English to be the second language of the Maltese student, so a high level of fluency was expected from that student. Officially English it is the second language in Malta; this is also declared in our Constitution. However, I believe that nowadays our students can no longer be considered to have English as a second language. This is because in recent years the Maltese has been given more importance than ever and our students seem to be more focused on it than before. Also, our students are influenced by the media, which is largely the Italian media here in Malta. I would also venture to believe that Italian might be more of a second language for many Maltese students than English.
When I was young, learning English was much more important than learning Maltese. I remember that at the school I attended (a nun’s school) our discipline teacher used to fine us five cents for speaking Maltese instead of English. The coin seems to have turned now: you are frowned upon if you speak English to your fellow citizens. There is also the tendency to label ‘snobbish’.
I think it is very important to know your roots. Your mother tongue is part of your roots. However, speaking another language should not trigger controversies related to patriotism or the rejection of your roots or heritage. Speaking English is simply a way of communicating and the person who chooses to speak English instead of Maltese may have their reasons. It is a well known fact that the Maltese vocabulary is extremely limited. Not all feelings can be expressed in Maltese. I think this is one of the reasons why a part of the Maltese population chooses to express themselves in English.
The SEC English test should no longer regard the Maltese student as a quasi-native speaker of English. You must consider that the Maltese student is learning English as a second language. I think that if this were the case, the pressure on Maltese students would decrease. The SEC exam assesses a broad area of the Maltese student’s English language proficiency and sometimes expects much more than the student can deliver.