Lino Bugeja's points about the importance of teaching history in our schools (April 30) are well taken but it is not clear when his article was written or how up-to-date it is.

I am not aware to what extent my "Save Maltese history" appeal (March 27, 2009) and the consequent flare-up, including the Malta Historical Society's full support and an excellent editorial on The Times entitled If History Lessons Were To Become History (April 22, 2009), have had the Education Ministry's originally publicised curriculum plans altered or not. From what Mr Bugeja writes, it seems that they have not.

Whether what is needed is a "national reader" inspired by the pre-war Ġabra Ta' Ward model for the elementary schools is clearly open to question, although that was a historic and valuable initiative. There have been one or two attempts at the primary school level by the History Teachers Association to provide readily-intelligible illustrated pedagogical textbooks with hands-on exercises.

Mr Bugeja's allegation about the situation being "now further accentuated by the historical limbo in the secondary schools" deserves some qualification.

The problem is that Maltese history is not a compulsory subject in the higher forms of secondary and that the curriculum was extended to cover more than twice the range it originally did (nearly 500 years instead of 200), a knowledge to be imparted in just a few hours per week when Maltese history is only an option.

This means that most Maltese students approaching matriculation would know next to nothing about the modern history of their country and people.

From what we have seen of public broadcasting, to the extent that this subject is broached, the emphasis in allocated prime time slots has been tinted, at best, by surface depth and technical bravado. Serious documentary "behind-the-scenes" history-rooted programmes, which had quickly garnered an appreciative and thirsty audience, were discouraged and stopped by government-appointed editors.

However, since October 2005, the government secondary schools have had at least one comprehensive and professionally-structured history textbook. This covers Malta in the 19th century, with a twin volume, on the 20th century, slowly on the way. When this particular book, Żmien l-Ingliżi: Is-Seklu Dsatax, was launched in 2004 at St James Cavalier, in Valletta, the then Minister of Education, Louis Galea, had described it as "xogħol miktub bil-Malti mitkellem li jista' jifhmu kulħadd" (a work written in spoken Maltese which everyone can understand). The Shadow Minister of Education, Evarist Bartolo, began thus: "Dan huwa ktieb ta' qawwa kbira" (this is a very weighty book).

Apart from the reviews, there have been many appreciative comments - including a string of ongoing e-mails - from secondary school students taking history, history teachers and members of the public.

Some may have preferred it in English. That will have to wait. The advice was that it would be more useful in Maltese as many pupils preferred learning their history in their language.

This is the third volume in Klabb Kotba Maltin's praiseworthy, pace-setting four-volume Storja Ta' Malta series, comprising the first two books by the late professor Andrew P. Vella.

I am sure Mr Bugeja will be the first to recognise the value of such contributions. Not without much effort, these fill up some of the space in limbo. Although certainly not all of it.

The author is a professor of history.