Linguistic and cultural diversity

To mark European Day of Languages, which was celebrated in Maltese schools on October 20, St Bernadette Primary School B, San Gwann, held two activities - one for students and another for teachers.

To celebrate the linguistic and cultural diversity in our school, a group of foreign students participated in a special school assembly organised for the occasion. A cohort of 15 pupils all spoke a short sentence in their native languages - Italian, French, Dutch, Greek, Serbo-Croat, Bulgarian, Russian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Thai.

Parental assistance was sought for proper diction and the making of the different flags which were displayed while the respective languages were spoken. This encouraged participants to then talk about their native country even in class.

As part of the school development meeting, which took place on the same day, a 20-minute quiz, conducted by an assistant head, was held for teaching staff. The quiz treated global linguistic and cultural diversity, covering language competences, as well as knowledge of cultures. Teachers were enthusiastic and participated fully.

Similar events co-ordinated on a national level could potentially promote intercultural understanding and increase solidarity among our youngsters, as well as the older generations.