Schoolchildren attending government, church and independent schools will soon have access to a series of video clips which trace the meaning of specific words in Maltese, and which focus on the origin and meaning of Maltese proverbs.
These educational clips, produced by FIMBank plc as part of its corporate social responsibility programme, will be distributed to all primary and secondary schools in Malta. This initiative was announced by FIMBank Group chairman John Grech, during a recent visit by the Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo at the head office in St Julian’s.
In 2015, FIMBank plc partnered with Public Broadcasting Services Ltd (PBS) in an initiative which saw the broadcast of a series of 30-second video spots, focusing on Malta’s linguistic heritage. The series of 100 clips, entitled ‘Kelma Kuljum’ (A Word Everyday), includes both Maltese words used colloquially, as well as others which are being utilised less frequently. Meanwhile, earlier this year, as a continuation of this project and as part of its CSR programme, FIMBank launched a new series of video clips which focus on Maltese proverbs and their meanings, entitled ‘X’ Jgħid il-Malti?’ (Maltese sayings). The new series has been featured extensively on PBS and the bank’s social media channels.
“As a Malta-based institution we feel we owe it to the people of Malta to help raise awareness of our islands’ rich cultural heritage,” said Dr Grech. “This consideration has always been a mainstay of our corporate social responsibility programme. The Maltese language is recognised as being an essential part of our DNA. Its uniqueness, derived from its eclectic mix of Semitic and Romance influences, is appreciated and endorsed by linguists worldwide. We are proud to be in a position to highlight its beauty and relevance.”
“I’m grateful that FIMBank is investing in the teaching of the Maltese language in our schools,” said Mr Bartolo. “Such support helps us to reach and help more kids learn their language in an interesting way. We need different programmes and methods of assessment in Maltese to reach more students as I am not satisfied that nearly half of our fifth formers are failing their SEC exam in Maltese.”
Jason Zammit, FIMBank’s head of marketing and administration, said that the video spots had proven to be quite popular with Maltese viewers. “We’ve received very positive and encouraging feedback after the spots from both campaigns were posted on Facebook and YouTube, where they were shared extensively by users. Getting people engaged and talking about our linguistic wealth is precisely the main objective of our project. This helped us to better understand the potential of this tool for the benefit of schoolchildren and their teachers.”
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