The Monitoring Board within the Ministry of Education is reviewing teacher professional qualifications and the criteria to establish and operate an English Language Teaching (ELT) school so as to bring these in line with modern industry trends, the Prime Minister said today.

He said that among other initiatives, the board shall be introducing a National Accreditation Scheme to systematically audit ELT operations and provide independent quality assurance in all spheres to the comfort of the international student.

It shall furthermore provide for schools who fulfil particular criteria of the Scheme to accredit their language programmes and institutions to the Malta Qualifications Framework and consequently to the European Qualifications Framework, enabling their certificates to obtain higher value throughout the European Union.

Dr Gonzi was speaking at a forum held this morning to mark the 20th anniversary of the setting up of the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations (FELTOM).

FELTOM represents 18 English language schools. Last year saw 83,000 language students visiting Malta, staying for a total of 216,000 weeks and injecting over €85million in the economy.

Dr Gonzi spoke on the government's commitment to make Malta a centre of excellence, even in education and said it wished draw upon the expertise of EFL schools to market and promote its ideas internationally.

He said that while the level of spoken English in the major EFL markets of Europe climbed to higher levels and dampened demand for traditional courses, Malta was seeing a new era for EFL schools that should improve their standing and increase their custom from among those who search for quality education in Malta as an English speaking country of excellence.

It was with that in mind that the Monitoring Board within the Ministry of Education was reviewing teacher professional qualifications and the criteria to establish and operate an English Language Teaching school.

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