English language schools and cosmopolitan Paceville
The Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations - Malta (FELTOM) would like to address some of the issues raised by John Guillaumier in his letter of August 16, Babel By Day, Babylon By Night.
Mr Guillaumier laments the changes he has seen in Malta over the last 60 years or more and attributes many of them to the arrival of tourists on our shores, in particular those coming here to learn English.
The first important point to note is that change happens everywhere. Some changes we deem positive, others maybe less so. The whole world has changed over the last 60 years. Modern means of transport and communication have accelerated this rate of change in all corners of the globe. Why should Malta be any different? The factors contributing to change are vast and to suggest that changes in Malta and Maltese society are the result of incoming tourists is a gross fallacy.
On the positive side one has to understand that tourism is a major contributor to the Maltese GNP - in the region of 25 per cent. Over 40,000 jobs are linked to the tourism industry. The government collects millions of euros in taxes each year as a result of this industry. Sixty years ago Malta was a colony, dependent on the United Kingdom. Today we have no one to fall back on. We have few natural resources and the ones we do have, must be exploited fully. We enjoy a temperate climate, a rich cultural heritage and the use of the most widely used language on the planet. Together these have been utilised to create an industry which is a major contributor to the Maltese economy and on which the livelihood of thousands of Maltese depends. This does not equate with a deterioration in the quality of life in Malta.
Unfortunately, there are instances when the enforcement of our laws is quite lacking. Language schools cannot be blamed for this. Nor can they be blamed for instances when alcohol is sold to underage clients. Alcohol consumption by minors also affects Maltese youth, and not just visiting students. Why is no mention made of those who are deliberately flouting the law and doing such a disservice to the tourism industry and to Maltese society in general?
Where there is insufficient transport to meet demand, particularly during the peak summer months, the answer is not to cut off the hand that feeds so many, but rather to address the situation and ensure that supply meets demand. Malta needs a solid infrastructure that can cope with the demands of this important sector of the economy.
Every country has its modern entertainment zone, it does not take the arrival of tourists or language students to create it, though it may help sustain it to the benefit of the local population, as owners are able to invest more in their establishments. Paceville is not just about sleaze and alcohol, it also includes some of the island's first class establishments. It is not all five-star, like everywhere else there is a range in the quality of services provided. There is something to suit every pocket and taste.
There is also a cosmopolitan feel to the area which provides a welcome alternative to the limitations of a small island society. It is unlikely that the majority of the Maltese population wish to be cut off from the rest of the world. Accepting change and adapting to it is the only way Malta can continue to develop into a modern independent state in the 21st century.
Isabelle Pace Warrington executive officer, Feltom, Sliema
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Edward James
Sep 7th 2008, 15:27
The writer of this article said: "We enjoy ... the use of the most widely used language on the planet. "
Pretty remarkable that FELTOM, a language federation, doesn't know that the most widely used language on the planet is Mandarin Chinese with 1120 million speakers, not English with 510 million.
Joseph Attard
Sep 6th 2008, 10:02
@Matthew Bezzina
"Working together is success.' Like many other problems facing communities today, Paceville is without fail encountering such evolution. However I feel that FELTOM as one of the stake holders involved, should be more proactive in creating a better Paceville. And this they should do by tangible proactivnes. There is a lot we can do together. Feltom on the one side would definately like to have more students coming. We auger that not only will they continue coming but they will increase in the years to come, however we need to make sure that PAceville evolves inthe right directions.
Stakeholders involved, like clubs,hotels, FELTOM itself, MTA, MHRA, Police, GRTU, Sedqa, Any Residents Association, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs, under the driving force of the Local Council should together create a better Paceville. Problems there are many, but let s put the past aside, whatever the differences , and get to work on finding tangible solutions. Together we can create the best entertainment hub of the Mediteranean.We have the brains to do this, so lets do it together and make Paceville, a entertainment hub of choice.!
Liam Kelly
Sep 5th 2008, 17:25
Isabelle,
Read the comment by Mrs Lesley Smith and ask yourself is this the kind of change which you are trying to defend in your letter and is this the kind of change which you are happy to accept and stand idly by even though you are in a prime position to influence it.
Annah Smith
Sep 5th 2008, 15:52
I went to a course in Malta this summer, and yes I agree that we were there to party, drink alcohol. Out in Paceville we had a few drinks and had fun like young people do. The maltese kids was not there to drink, they took loads of drugs, pot and cocain. You talk about the foregin students, take a look at your own.
Charles Camilleri
Sep 5th 2008, 15:39
The English Language Schools should be happy indeed because they are making good money.But these students are being nuisance where ever they are. Most of them come here to have fun which in their country is not so easily available, such drinking alcohol, have sex and being out all night. Being in a foreign country seem to give them the right to give vent to their inner feelings. Both local and foreigners have complaint about their behaviour but it seems that the authorities are helpless. Maltese does not need these kind of tourism which giving a bad name to our tourist industry. It has become common for some Maltese who are making hay while the sun shines to accept anything undesired on the pretext that it contributes to our economy. We are becoming slaves in our own country and to the system. Il-karozza taghna u nirkbu wara.
Albert Spiteri
Sep 5th 2008, 15:11
I wonder how the federation (?) of english teaching organizations (bombastic), the feltom, can classify the nasty army of so-called students that invade us in summer as tourists. Tourists are those who after a year's work and saving come here for a rest, a swim, a bit of relaxation and quite and spend their hard-earned savings.
Liam Kelly
Sep 5th 2008, 12:24
Yes every country has a modern entertainment area and foriegn students have not created this alone, but they have ruined it alone. Six years ago one could go to paceville with friends and a girlfriend and have a fun time in the clubs and a relaxing walk by the sea.
Now we can't enter bars because theres too many students (who are WAY under16), we cannot go for walks because the pavement is blocked by vast amount of roudy, noisy and increasingly abusive and rude students.
The view of the FELTO is synonymous with other stakeholders who are gaining financially through these students, such as bars and accomodation providers. They simply will not bat an eyelid as long as they continue to rake in the money and then....that is all your interested in.
You should realise the bigger picture here and see the damage these students are doing to our society and environment. You should also realise that there are different kinds of tourists and quite frankly the 'student' kind we get is the wrong kind we should be attracting. As teachers, take it upon yourselves to educate these people some manners of behaviour when guests in others countries.
Matthew Bezzina
Sep 5th 2008, 11:01
I have a dream of seeing all the stakeholders in Paceville and St. Julians working together for the common good. I believe that if everyone had to pull the same rope in the same direction everyone will be better off. Rather than declaring war on each other; clubs, hotels, language schools, the local council and finally residents should sit round table and come up with pro active solutions to the ever increasing challenges associated with the area.
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~Henry Ford
John Meilak
Sep 5th 2008, 10:38
These bunch of rowdy teenagers should be whipped in line. One toe out of line and back to your country you go. If you do such things in their country, you'll be arrested and handcuffed within minutes. Oh but I forgot, this is Malta, where everybody does what one wants!
Why are we attracting such large numbers of students who cause more trouble than benefit? I mean, most of them don't even have money to buy a bottle of water! So much for tourism. We should attract cultural tourists who appreciate our islands' massive heritage and not English students' who come to learn English as an excuse to have a summer of booze and fun. Let's be real, most of these teenager's parents literally want to get rid of them by sending them here on some English course. Then they come here and voila: kid can do whatever he wants.
Mrs Lesley Smith
Sep 5th 2008, 09:55
Last year on our usual summer holiday to Malta we went to the audionvisual show at the Conference centre. We had not seen this show for a number of years and looked forward to viewing it again. I am disabled and wlak slowly with sticks. We could not belive the behaviour of the students who were 90+% of the audience. Before the start we stood up to take off our jackets and 2 students jumped over from rows in front and took our seats. Then they took my sticks and taunted my husband, who is elderly. They shouted, used bad language, cheered at the scenes of the war damage inflicted on Malta. We could scarcely hear the commentary. We were pushed and shoved on the way out. We complained to the Manager who treated us with great courtesy but explained that his hands were tied. They constantly spoke to those escorting the students but they take no responsibility for the behaviour of their charges. This is shameful. These students should be educated properly about the role of Malta and her people and the fact that without Malta the free world as these young ones know it would not exist.