There are several schools and initiatives in Australia teaching our dear mother tongue in the Australian states, most to students just starting their studies.
The pinnacle of Maltese teaching here is the high school examination in year 12. Each state has it’s name for this exam (VCE in Victoria, HSC in NSW, SACE in South Australia).
In the past few years, Maltese has always had the same problem – the number of students sitting for this exam in any particular year, when counted around the whole of Australia, was smaller that that considered to be the minimum demonstrating sufficient interest for the education authorities to invest in.
This year is no exception, when last month, a delegation from the Federation of Maltese Language Schools (FMLS) was notified that once again Maltese was at the edge of the abyss, and if there wasn’t an increase of enrolled students, we should get ready to kiss our language goodbye from the official Australian educational curriculum.
I’m familiar mostly with the situation in NSW. Here, school age students that want to have an HSC certificate in Maltese need to be presented by an accredited school, and in NSW the only such accredited school is the Saturday School for Community Languages in Seven Hills, where Maltese lessons are undertaken by Charles Galea, one of the pillars of Maltese teaching in Australia, to whom we should owe a burden of gratitude for his work over a long period of time. If there are any parents interested in their school-age offspring obtain this certificate, I encourage them to contact the school at this address: mailto:saturdaycl-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au.
Adults in NSW have slightly more choice. Although they cannot undertake the entire course and be assessed during the year as is done with school age students, marks that count towards the final score, they can present themselves and sit for the two examinations (oral and written) like the other students.
The eldest community school in NSW is the Maltese Language School of NSW which operates from Horsley Park, which refers students interested in the HSC to specialised classes. More information is available from malteselanguageschoolnsw@hotmail.com.
Another established community school is Skola Maltija, operating from Rouse Hill, Greystanes, Gringila and Cobbitty. They can be contacted at skolamaltijasydney@yahoo.com.au.
I also teach Maltese at all levels up to the HSC, to groups and individuals, in Blacktown and its surrounds, face to face or online. This is a private tuition service with the name Dwejret il-Malti. More information is available from dwejretilmalti@gmail.com.
Those living in other states of Australia are encouraged to contact organisations working in their states for more details. I know about the following:
•Victoria: MCCV (Maltese Community Council of Victoria), MLTAV (Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria); VSL (Victorian School of Languages)
•Queensland: Skola Maltija Mackay
•WA: Maltese Association WA
If other organisations or individuals are involved in this sphere who I haven’t identified, please do not hesitate in writing to the editors of The Voice of the Maltese, or to my blog, to announce your services.
For the rest of the readers, if there is the slightest interest in learning the Maltese language, moreso if you’d like to obtain an official certification in Maltese from the educational authorities in your state, I encourage you to approach someone who can help.
We are here for you.
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Hawn diversi skejjel u inizjattivi fl-Awstralja li jgħallmu l-lingwa għażiża tagħna fl-istati Awstraljani, il-biċċa l-kbira lil studenti li jkunu għadhom qed jibdew l-istudji tagħhom.
Il-quċċata tat-tagħlim tal-Malti hawnhekk huwa l-eżami fil-livell tal-iskola sekondarja (high school) tas-sena 12. Kull stat għandu l-isem tiegħu għal dan l-eżami (VCE f’Victoria, HSC f’NSW, SACE f’South Australia).
Għal dawn l-aħħar snin, il-Malti dejjem kellu problema waħda – in-numru ta’ studenti li kienu qiegħdin joqogħdu għal dan l-eżami f’sena partikolari, meta jingħaddu madwar l-Awstralja kollha, huwa iżgħar minn dak li huwa meqjus li huwa l-minimu li juri li hemm interess biżżejjed biex l-awtoritajiet edukattivi jinvestu fih.
Din is-sena mhi l-ebda eċċezzjoni, fejn ix-xahar li għadda, delegazzjoni mill-Federation of Maltese Language Schools (FMLS) ġiet mgħarrfa għal darb’oħra li l-Malti huwa f’xifer l-irdum u jekk ma jkunx hemm żieda fl-istudenti li humu miktuba, il-Malti nistgħu ngħidulu bonswa fil-kurrikulu uffiċjali edukattiv Awstraljan.
Jien familjari l-iktar bis-sitwazzjoni ta’ NSW. Hawnhekk, studenti tal-iskola li jridu jkollhom iċ-ċertifikat tal-HSC fil-Malti jridu jkunu ppreżentati minn skola akkreditata, u f’NSW l-unika skola akkreditata fil-Malti hija s-Saturday School for Community Languages ta’ Seven Hills, fejn il-lezzjonijiet bil-Malti jsiru minn Charles Galea, wieħed mill-pilastri tat-tagħlim tal-Malti fl-Awstralja, li għandna nkunu grati għax-xogħol tiegħu fuq medda twila ta’ żmien. Jekk hawn xi ġenituri li interessati li uliedhom li għadhom l-iskola jġibu dan iċ-ċertifikat, inħeġġiġhom jikkuntattjaw lill-iskola f’dan l-indirizz: saturdaycl-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au.
L-adulti ta’ NSW għandhom ftit iktar għażla. Għalkemm ma’ jistgħux jagħmlu l-kors sħiħ u jiġu assessjati matul is-sena kif isir għat-tfal tal-iskola, marki li jgħoddu għall-marka finali, jistgħu jippreżentaw ruħhom u joqogħdu għaż-żewġ eżamijiet (orali u kitba) bħall-istudenti l-oħra.
L-iktar skola antika komunitarja f’NSW hija l-Maltese Language School of NSW li taħdem f’Horsley Park, li tirreferi studenti interessati fl-HSC għal klassijiet speċjalizzati. Tistgħu iġġibu iktar informazzjoni minn malteselanguageschoolnsw@hotmail.com.
Skola komunitarja oħra stabbilita hija Skola Maltija, li topera minn Rouse Hill, Greystanes, Cringila u Cobbitty. Wieħed jista’ jikkuntattjahom fuq skolamaltijasydney@yahoo.com.au.
Jien ukoll ngħallem il-Malti f’kull livell sal-HSC, lil gruppi jew individwi, f’Blacktown u l-madwar, wiċċ imb’wiċċ jew onlajn. Dan huwa servizz privat bl-isem Dwejret il-Malti. Iktar informazzjoni tista’ tinkiseb minn dwejretilmalti@gmail.com.
Għal min joqgħod fi stati oħra tal-Awstralja, inħeġġiġkom biex tikkuntattjaw lill-organizzazzjonijiet li jaħdmu fl-istati tagħkom għal iktar dettalji. Li naf bihom huma dawn li ġejjin:
•Victoria: MCCV (Maltese Community Council of Victoria); MLTAV (Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria); VSL (Victorian School of Languages)
•Queensland: Skola Maltija Mackay
•WA: Maltese Association WA
Jekk hemm organizzazzjonijiet jew individwi oħra involuti f’dan il-qasam li ma semmejtx hawn fuq, toqogħdux lura milli tiktbu lill-edituri ta’ The Voice of the Maltese, jew lill-blogg tiegħi, ħalli tħabbru s-servizz tagħkom.
Lill-bqija tal-qarrejja, jekk hemm xi nitfa ta’ interess fit-tagħlim tal-lingwa Maltija, iktar u iktar jekk tixtiequ li ġġibu ċertifikat uffiċjali tal-Malti mill-awtoritajiet edukattivi tal-istat tagħhom, inħeġġiġkom tavviċinaw lil min jista’ jgħinkom.
Aħna qiegħdin hawn għalikom.
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