The recent ban of Mario Azzopardi’s book, Vampir u Rakkonti Oħra, by the Schools’ Library Services, raises an important issue relating to our educational system. In my view, instead of prohibiting relevant literature from schools it would be much more worthwhile to create in secondary schools a literary forum for serious discussion by students under the guidance of their teachers. Let this be my suggestion to the working group appointed by the Ministry of Education, Employment and the Family to report by January why Schools’ Library Services prohibited Mr Azzopardi’s book for teens from being stocked in secondary schools.
The working group has been asked to recommend an age classification for Vampir. I firmly believe it would provide interesting and relevant material for debate among fourth and fifth formers in a forum situation expertly supervised by teachers.