Federation calls for clampdown on unruly foreign students

The English language federation has called for coordinated and concrete action by the authorities, amid continuous claims of unruly and disruptive behaviour by language students.

The bad publicity surrounding language students could be more damaging to the island than their bad behaviour, the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (Feltom) has warned.

"We hope action is taken before it's too late. People are just hitting out at us and at students in general without realising the positive aspects of this industry," John Dimech, the president of Feltom, told The Times.

The English language-teaching sector is booming. For the past nine years, the sector has been constantly growing and an estimated 70,000 students are expected to visit Malta this year, ploughing some Lm26.5 million (€85 million) into the economy.

But the fact that 75 per cent of all students arrive in Malta in July and August is seen as underlining the need for pre-planning and crowd control.

The sheer numbers are leaving in their wake complaints about litter on roads and beaches and unruly behaviour.

The negative media publicity this summer has been particularly vociferous. According to reports in Sweden, students in Malta have "sex on the beach, unlimited access to alcohol, drugs and nightlife" while several letters in The Times have complained about reckless youths and the disturbance they cause to locals and tourists alike.

The residents and traders of Church Street, Paceville recently lamented to the authorities saying that the area was being overrun by students who urinate and vomit on their property and use gardens as rubbish bins.

Mr Dimech has a strong line of defence: "People are blaming us for all the wrongdoing but the authorities also have to play ball. Of course it's unfair for students to cause inconvenience and we are not shirking responsibility, but ultimately the authorities should also come down on undisciplined students".

While constantly campaigning against vandalism and littering, the federation encourages its member schools to control organised outings.

The federation's efforts had led to specific legislation governing foreign students - such as strict conditions regulating students under 18 and the provision of adequate supervision.

Schools generally try to encourage an "anti-Paceville policy" by organising separate night events and a strict curfew is imposed. Contrary to perception, absenteeism is negligible and the very few who came to Malta on the mere pretext to party have been sent back.

However, Feltom's efforts are not enough and problems would keep recurring without the support and enforcement from the government and the police, Mr Dimech insisted.

The students' high concentration would continue to leave an impact on sectors like public transport unless the Malta Transport Authority provided more public transport on routes synonymous with students.

Despite the requests, police patrols in popular nightspots like Paceville remained insufficient to control the numbers, he said.

"You have to understand that many are on their first unaccompanied trip overseas and therefore let their hair down."

Over 10 years ago, the federation had lobbied with the government to regulate the running of schools and other non-academic services.

However, while the legislation clearly stipulates the responsibilities of the schools, the authorities appear to be unclear about their roles and obligations.

Feltom believes the restricted sale of alcohol to minors remains unchecked, and this is a major cause of disruption. The rampant abuse by unscrupulous bar owners in allowing children access to their premises must be curbed.

Ultimately, Mr Dimech insisted that one relatively large non-member language school was mainly responsible for the bad publicity. For example, the school ignored the standard rule that there should be no more than four students housed in one bedroom.

Questions sent to the police on Monday have remained unanswered.