... because every little helps

Malta's knowledge of English and other languages has for centuries enabled it to keep in touch with the outside world and contributed to our success in commerce, attracting inward investment and tourism.

Tesco's Sir Tom Leahy has recently gone on record saying that the correct use of English is sadly becoming a lost art and that the UK education system is annually turning out thousands of unemployable young people who lack the knowledge of speaking and writing their own language.

If one were to judge by the yardstick of official handouts and contributions to Malta's English language press, we are gradually sinking to a similar level of mediocrity.

My first contact with the English-Speaking Union (ESU) was in early 2008 when I visited Dartmouth House to listen to polling guru Sir Robert Worcester's analysis about the probable winner of the US Presidential race. Dartmouth House in Charles Street, London, is the ESU's international headquarters.

I was introduced to Valerie Mitchell, at that time ESU director general, and thought to myself that an ESU branch could help stem the decline of spoken and written English in Malta. I decided to explore the possibility of setting up an ESU branch in Malta.

After garnering Education Minister Dolores Cristina's wholehearted support, I set about contacting people willing to serve on a steering committee that would ultimately lead to establishing a fully-fledged ESU in Malta.

The ESU is a registered charity, which promotes international understanding through the English language. It was founded in 1918 by writer and journalist Sir Evelyn Wrench and has a long tradition of cultural programmes and educational exchanges designed to create links between peoples of different nationalities.

ESU is a membership organisation with branches throughout the UK and in over 50 countries worldwide.

I have since discovered that others before me have tried to establish the ESU in Malta. Friends and acquaintances still hold life membership cards dating from the 1980s. So, rather than setting up an organisation covering the same ground and competing with long-established British culture institutions, I thought that the best way of moving ahead would be to set up an independent entity that could comfortably coexist and collaborate with like-minded organisations.

Recruiting the right people was no easy matter and, despite some initial humming and hawing and drawing a few blanks, I was delighted when Martin Scicluna accepted to chair the steering committee. He is surrounded by a keen, highly-qualified group and individually leading exponents of academic, didactic, organisational and business skills on the island.

The steering committee was launched last December. It has since held monthly meetings and actively pursued an intense programme, which included hosting Mrs Mitchell, Roger Pyne and Alan Lee Williams. Mrs Mitchell and her colleagues met Mrs Cristina - who has been enormously supportive throughout and has agreed to be the patron of ESU Malta - the British High Commissioner, Louise Stanton, herself a former ESU scholar, the vice rector and members of the University Council, representatives of schools and teachers of English and English language schools. Mrs Mitchell and Prof. Williams addressed a well-attended public talk at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Enterprise.

Last April, the director general's visit was followed by ESU chairman Lord Hunt's brief stop-over during which he met the press and members of the steering committee. In May, James Probert spent a thoroughly productive few days conducting debating skills workshops in our schools and at the University. He focused on students and teachers and provided us with a wonderful incentive to start a programme of debating in Malta's schools and at the University. The University has since engaged a member of staff to drive the initiative forward.

In October, the steering committee had the pleasure of hosting Stanley Wells, who spoke at the University, in schools in Malta and Gozo and in public forums about Shakespeare, his time works and Prof. Wells gave an outstanding series of talks perfectly pitched to meet the needs and expectations of audiences ranging from school children to undergraduates, drama companies and members of the public.

Prof. Wells has set the benchmark and the quality that ESU Malta will be offering in the future. In addition, the steering committee has obtained scholarships and sent participants to the Shakespeare Globe Seminar and a course in international relations at Mansfield College, Oxford.

In the past few weeks, thanks to the generosity of Rotary Club Malta and the personal donations of Rotarians, ESU Malta has launched its first state school Arm of Support programme, centred on a relatively deprived area of Malta. ESU Malta is preparing the groundwork for an ESU branch in Gozo. We look forward to ESU director of education Martin Mulloy's visit early this month and to hosting Prof. and Mrs Crystal in spring 2010.

In the meantime, ESU Malta has rented offices in central Sliema, drawn up a challenging management and business plan covering the first two years of operations and is planning to introduce a programme of English-speaking and other classes. ESU Malta is applying for formal recognition as an NGO.

Mr Scicluna and I recently attended the ESU international congress in London where Malta's application to set up ESU Malta and our statute were ratified. The official launch of the ESU in Malta is scheduled for May 2010, which will be followed by a membership recruitment drive.

Apart from Mr Scicluna and myself, the other members of the steering committee are Jean Killick (honorary secretary), Mario Galea, (honorary treasurer), Malcolm Naudi (honorary communications officer), Fr Dominic Scerri OP, Bernie Mizzi, Petra Bianchi, Pier Massa, Ivan Callus, Frank Salt, Isabelle Pace Warrington, Clare Thake Vassallo, Joseph D. Hamilton and Winston V. Zahra.

"Every little helps," says Tesco, and anyone wishing to know more about the ESU or is interested in joining should contact Jean Killick at esumalta@maltanet.net.

About ESU Malta

In line with the ESU, ESU Malta is committed to creating international understanding through English at a time when English has become the working language of the global village.

The ESU promotes English through literature, the arts and music, which transcend all traditional barriers, as well as through public speaking, discussion and debate. Based at Dartmouth House, in London, the ESU organises individual scholarships, internships and exchanges, reinforced by international conferences and vigorous current and cultural affairs programmes in London.

Founded originally in 1918 to help bind together the English-speaking peoples of the United States and the Commonwealth, today the ESU has spread to over 50 countries, including most recently several in Asia and many of the nations of Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America. In the US and the UK, the ESU has many membership branches supporting and participating in its international work.

ESU Malta has started working to enable Maltese to participate in these scholarships and educational opportunities. Two Maltese have already benefited: Clive Piscopo, MA, who teaches English language and literature at St Michael School, Qormi, attended the ESU Shakespeare Study Course Shakespeare In Stratford scholarship in August and later that same month Valentina Cassar, an assistant lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the University of Malta, attended an international relations conference at Mansfield College, Oxford.

ESU Malta has also invited ESU officials to visit the island to assist in a number of initiatives and these programmes, in conjunction with the University of Malta, the Ministry of Education and other educational institutions, will be rolled out in the coming months. James Probert, deputy director of education and head of the centre for speech and debate at the ESU, visited last May.

For more information call 2138 7786 or e-mail esumalta@maltanet.net.

Dr Refalo is a former Malta High Commissioner to London.