Dun Karm Psaila Secondary School

I refer to the letter by Michael Bonnici (Dun Karm, 1871-1961, November 16).

Dun Karm Psaila Boys' Secondary School was named after the national poet Dun Karm Psaila. The school has for the past three years celebrated the national poet with a short but very dignified ceremony in the school hall on or around October 15 each year. This is done with the full support and cooperation of the school council and in association with the National Festivities Committee and this year also with the newly-formed Kunsill Nazzjonali ta' l-Ilsien Malti. This function is presided by the Minister of Education.

After the function in the school hall, a delegation made up of students' representatives and the invited guests lay a wreath at the monument dedicated to Dun Karm in Sciortino Street and at his grave in the Zebbug Cemetery. This school is the only organisation to have taken the initiative to lay flowers on the grave of the national poet in recent years. Furthermore, our students have also actively participated during the ceremony organised by the National Festivities Committee.

This school has also been very proactive in promoting the life and work of Dun Karm Psaila by the setting up of a very attractive website: http://schoolnet.gov. mt/zebbugsec/. This site is an invaluable source of help to students of Maltese literature. Following a request from Maltese migrants living in Canada and Australia, on October 15, 2005, an English version of this website was inaugurated. This will make it possible for a much wider audience to gain access to information about the national poet.

The school has commissioned a Maltese artist, Andrew Micallef, to paint a portrait of the national poet. This portrait, which is hanging in the school foyer, is also reproduced on the above-mentioned website. Currently the school has embarked on a new project, hopefully to be inaugurated by October 2006. It is not opportune to reveal details at this stage but suffice it to say that it will help to further promote Dun Karm Psaila as the national poet.

From the above, it is clear that this school has not only been very active in celebrating the anniversary of the birth (and death) of the national poet but has done so in a proactive, innovative and consistent manner. Perhaps the news media could promote such activities more actively. In doing so they would not only be providing more space in their respective media for the promotion of the national poet but also of our national language and cultural events in general.