The recent spate of features, editorials and comments in the press on the present state of the English language in Malta compelled me to break my holy vows, made decades ago, not to air my views on the pre-eminent position of the English language in Malta.

Let me state from the outset that my impassioned plea for the maintenance and improvement of acceptable standards in spoken and written English does not stem from any nostalgic harking to colonial days but from a genuine realisation of the import-ance of this global language as a vehicle of economic, technical, cultural and educational import.

It is this degree of necessity that gives meaning to the term “English as a second language” (the method of teaching which should be adopted in Malta) in contrast to the more leisurely approach to “English as a foreign language”. Judging from the high percentage of students who leave school after 10 years of compulsory educ-ation unable to converse fluently in English, I come to the conclusion that the significance of English as a second language is not sufficiently realised.

In a perceived bilingual setting, where, luckily, English is one of the official languages entrenched in the Constitution, it is no longer acceptable for a Maltese child to speak Maltese only.

In recent years, the importance of this global language has greatly intensified. It has conquered the electronic net and currently Britannia rules the e-waves whose global powers through the internet advances more ruthlessly than the British Empire ever could.

In such a situation, every Malt-ese student must be enabled to communicate in this lingua franca, not least to bolster our competitive edge in the business and financial sectors in the Mediterranean basin and beyond.

A study of the contemporary English scene in Malta seems to suggest that in many spheres the acquisition and mastery of English is no longer considered of paramount importance, and this because it is very often equated with our colonial past or a form of cultural imperialism. The process of decolonisation is not achieved by downgrading or minimising the usefulness of a world language. Such sterile nationalism will surely have a disastrous effect not only on our general culture and research possibilities but also on our emerg-ent economy.

In all European countries the importance of English is being increasingly realised, and English is emerging as the most popular language for the schoolchildren of the European Union.

Eurostat reveals that 85 per cent of secondary students within the EU are now studying English as a second and not as a foreign language. On the other hand, in Malta the disproportionate attention given to the teaching of other subjects at the expense of English is very disturbing.

Maltese is undoubtedly an integral part of our national heritage; it deserves special attention and should be given due recognition in all schools. It has to be acknow-ledged that the educational institutions of my generation in post-war Malta fostered in us a deep love for our mother tongue and its literature. But a sense of balance, tempered by a sense of respons-ibility, was always the guiding light in my school days and the English language had a big chunk of the timetable.

Success in a particular subject depends on the amount of teaching and exposure one is given to it. In a recent world assessment to select the best models in various subjects, New Zealand emerged as the role model in “reading and writing”. On the basis that reading is the cornerstone of learning, the educational authorities in New Zealand feel justified in allotting a substantial amount of time for reading. In fact, half of each school day in the early years of schooling is devoted to reading and writing. This in a situation where English is the first language. The emphasis on reading continues in the first few years until all children are fluent readers. Extensive work in other subjects comes later.

Unlike pre-war days, post-Independence Malta has very few anglophile promoters in the political arena. It pays to play the national jarred tune and pander to the pseudo fervour to downgrade the status of the English language.

Undoubtedly, this contribution will open a Pandora’s box. The forces of blind nationalism will unleash their missiles with unabated fury but, even if at the risk of being pilloried as an anachronistic anglophile, I am willing to stick my neck out on the national chopping block so that, while acknowledging the usefulness and beauty of the language of my very humble birth, I strongly defend the exceptional import-ance of the English language in the local situation.

The author was a Commonwealth scholar and studied comparative education at Moray House, Scotland.