Our language is one of the most powerful forces uniting and identifying us as a nation. Its survival is probably our largest claim to a distinctly Maltese identity. Why is it then that successive reports, and our own daily experience of the use of the Maltese language, raise so much concern about standards of both spoken and written Maltese?

The Maltese language examiners’ report by the Matsec board analysed the performance of more than 4,000 students who sat for last year’s Secondary Education Certificate and found that a significant number of 16-year-olds had not mastered the use of their native language, despite 11 years of compulsory schooling.

Although 67 per cent of students obtained a grade between 1 (highest) and 5, which qualified them to enter post-secondary educational institutions, the examiners flagged up the high rate of spelling and grammatical mistakes as well as poor punctuation (or complete lack of punctuation) committed by the students.

Common errors were that students failed to make any distinction between formal and colloquial terms, to the extent that a number of candidates unknowingly used words that bordered on foul language or other dialects in use. Matters were sometimes so bad that a substantial number of students lost all the marks allotted for the use of orthography in the essay section of the exam because they had committed more than 20 mistakes in this part of the examination alone.

As to grammar, which lies at the very heart of any good written and spoken language, the students showed abysmal skills in the most basic rules, such as use of the plural and the incorrect conjugation of words. The same worrying deficiencies arose in the section aimed at testing students’ knowledge of grammar with blatant examples of code-switching and students translating directly and literally from English to Maltese even when writing the simplest phrases.

The examiners urged that the deteriorating trend in standards of Maltese should be addressed urgently. While putting part of the blame on the radio and television media because, they argued, students were using the same incorrect expressions as those being repeatedly heard from presenters, they offered no concrete proposals for improvement.

The examiners also deplored the “dwindling reading habits” of students and “the increasing influence of technology on the Maltese language”.

Malta appears to have an existential problem with both its official languages – Maltese and English – none of which is being spoken or written well. Yet, as a report on standards of English pointed out recently, Malta’s bilingualism is a vital element for its economic and commercial well-being. One senior Maltese academic said: “The last thing we need is a generation illiterate in both Maltese and English, which is our window on the world.”

There seems to be one common denominator linking the low standards of Maltese and English. This is that standards of teaching in both these languages appears to be low. This may be the nub of the problem.

The focus should now be on ensuring that the training of teachers, who are ultimately responsible for imparting the love and knowledge of the Maltese (or English) language and are its custodians, should be greatly enhanced.

The curriculum being studied should also be reviewed to ensure the basic tools of grammar, which are the foundations of any language, are being properly taught.

There must be a major investment in better teachers and teaching to achieve the higher standards that are needed.