For Maltese and international students from Pembroke Secondary School, multiculturalism is already an everyday reality in the classroom, one they say has helped them encounter new ideas and experiences.
Speaking at a youth conference yesterday, however, they also warned that, unless properly managed, individual cultural traditions and identities risked being diluted or even lost.
The conference, organised by St Clare College and the Gżira local council, brought together students from schools in the college’s catchment area, namely San Ġwann, Sliema, St Julian’s, Gżira and Pembroke.
“As students, we have to adapt ourselves. It’s not always easy, having sometimes also to overcome the language barrier but, funnily enough, one way or the other, we always manage to find a way,” Kyle Borg, a Year 10 student, said.
“Sports and extra curriculum activities and the introduction of new non-academic subjects also help. It’s a give-and-take situation where both sides have to learn from one another and collaborate together.”
Emily Loucaidas, who was born in Cyprus to British parents, spoke of the ease with which she had integrated into her new school environment after moving to Malta.
“The benefits of migration are obvious even just within my own school,” she said.
“The increase of students with different backgrounds creates a wider range of personalities and characters, making interacting with friends and classmates in daily life more interesting.
“It also allows me to learn directly about the world and the cultures within it first hand and not online or in a book,” Loucaidas added.
Year 9 student Milosav Mrdak, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, said he strongly believed those who were opposed to multiculturalism had never had a chance to truly experience it, though, like others, he said it would be “a great shame” if cultural diversity were to be eroded.
“Living in a multicultural society makes you more open-minded about other cultures and accept of new ideologies,” he said.
“Every day we live this experience, where we as students learn from each other.”
College principal Keith Bartolo said integration was a new challenge facing schools within the area, with the conference an opportunity for students from different backgrounds to share their perspectives on the issue.