It's good to learn that officials from Feltom (Federation of English Language Teaching Schools) have held meetings with the Swieqi and Sliema local councils in an effort to pre-empt problems that may arise during the high summer season, which sees so many foreign students descend on this island. Mixing education with pleasure, they seek to learn the foibles and intricacies of the English language while making the most of our sea, sun, culture, artistic activities and nightlife entertainment, as the mood swings.

The two localities are favourite stamping grounds of many of these students and, if the truth must be told, as it should be, some of them do enjoy themselves a tad too much, especially in the early hours of the morning, to the detriment of the residents. Enjoyment takes many forms and when one person's enjoyment causes disruption in another person's life, then that is taking enjoyment a little too far. Proposals made by the Feltom officials, calling for more police presence in problem areas and the provision of basic hygiene facilities, should be echoed and taken up by the local councils, as their implementation will make life undoubtedly easier for them and the residents.

I remember the days when Malta was still in its infancy as a student destination way back in the late 1960s and 1970s. As a graduate in English literature and language I joined the summer force of teachers who taught English to Italian, French and a few German students. The Italians were rowdy, the French less so and the Germans were meticulous and serious.

The numbers were low in comparison to today's 87,000 or so but it was an auspicious beginning to a niche tourism market that has flourished and prospered, bringing in a revenue of €85 million in 2007 alone. Nurtured and pampered it could definitely do better, especially as the students are now travelling from Asiatic countries, Japan and South Korea primarily, to the Mediterranean to brush up and polish their English.

Malta has always enjoyed a reputation for being a safe destination. Add to this the climate, the fact that English is so widely spoken, the general atmosphere in the country and the winning ingredients are there. Malta rates, so far, second only to South Africa in the listing of competitively priced destinations. It's also one of the few countries with basic legislation for the industry.

The competition is there as well and we do well to keep it in mind at all times. The competition is more than ample reason for us to develop further a strong strategy and policy for English language teaching in Malta and Gozo, based on unequivocal standards in different areas.

Teaching staff qualifications remain a priority. Teacher training methodology courses, their approval and their monitoring, are essential. We cannot afford patchwork or crisis management in this area. The students returning to their homeland remain the best marketing ambassadors we can have. Good news from them to their countryfolk is good news for us. Word of mouth still sells best and most effectively.

School premises and the environment come a close second.

Today, a great deal of investment has been made by several entrepreneurs to provide state of the art premises while other organisations make intelligent use of already existing educational facilities, entering into agreements that work out financially well for both sides involved.

In the 1990s, I went back to a stint of English language teaching, this time to mature company directors from Bremen. The room allotted was so depressing and stifling hot that after an hour we were compelled to venture out on to the streets and carry on our educational activities in a more congenial environment. Those students certainly did not have anything complimentary to say about premises and environment, which was a pity in more ways than one. They were adult students and the adult student market is one that needs to be tapped for all its worth, especially as adult students can bring in custom all the year round. Their travels are not tied to their summer holidays and they can fill in quieter months.

Then there are the host families. Another important and integral part of the equation.

Host families take on a commitment for which they should be adequately remunerated and which they should adequately fulfil.

I know families who treat the students as part of their own family, setting ground rules for the younger ones and expecting those ground rules to be observed. The same cannot be said for all and it truly pains me to see 15- or 16-year-olds returning "home" in the early hours of the morning, dishevelled and, undoubtedly, tipsy. Obviously, nowadays, with many of them being lodged in hotels, the accommodation system has taken on a different angle.

The worst that could happen to us would be to lose our status as a safe destination, "safe" here taking on various connotations. We cannot afford to fall into international disrepute because the drink flows unrestrainedly and the young are unprotected and left to their own devices.

That's the easiest way to kill the market... although there are other priority issues at stake here, apart from the market itself.

Mrs Cristina is Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.