Arabic makes small comeback in schools

A modest increase has been recorded in candidates sitting for the Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) exam in Arabic, rising from 55 in 2022 to 68 in 2023.

This improvement contrasts starkly with the situation when a mere 13 students registered for the exam in 2006, with only 11 attending.

The modest increase in registrations in 2023 primarily stems from a growing cohort of students hailing from Arabic-speaking families. The trend has been noticeable over the past decade, with registrations climbing from a meagre 16 in 2013 to 57 in 2018, peaking at 79 in 2021.

An examination report from 2017 underscored that a majority of candidates were either of Arab origin or native Arabic speakers. This year’s examination report notes the “ trend of increasing candidate registrations for this subject” but also that several candidates had difficulties expressing themselves in conversations in modern standard Arabic, instead resorting to “dialectal” Arabic which prevails in their country of origin.

Maria Camilleri, a former head and co-founder of the Miriam Al Batool school in Paola, lamented with MaltaToday that Maltese youths were missing out on opportunities by not embracing Arabic as a language option.

Camilleri advocates for a broader understanding of the language’s relevance, especially in fields like diplomacy, translation, and international organisations. “Knowledge of Arabic can be a significant asset in diplomatic careers and enabling effective communication with Arabic-speaking nations. Additionally, proficiency in Arabic can open doors to opportunities within EU institutions and humanitarian organisations, where linguistic diversity is highly valued.”

Camilleri also pointed out that Malta often finds itself resorting to foreign rather than home-grown translators. Despite Malta’s aspirations to bridge European and Arab cultures, the uptake of Arabic among younger students remains subdued, reflectingthe prevailing negative perception of the language. “The low numbers of students learning Arabic is rooted in a negative perception of Arabic,” Camilleri notes, noting that even Arab individuals see the learning of English and other European languages as offering more opportunities.

This negative perception is also reflected in a shortage of Arab teachers in secondary schools. Camilleri says greater “visibility” for the Arabic language is needed in both the education system and the media. “We need to motivate students to learn Arabic and explain the benefits of learning it to a wider audience...  and this requires a concerted educational strategy.”

And while the similarity between Maltese and Arabic should help, Camilleri acknowledges that the different writing system and alphabet can be an obstacle. So students need to be reassured that the effort of learning “beautiful” Arabic is worthwhile, she adds.

From compulsory to marginal option

Efforts to promote Arabic in schools were initiated in the mid-1970s, under a cultural and educational agreement with Libya, aimed to embed Arabic language teaching in Malta’s curriculum. A cultural and educational agreement with Libya signed in 1975 resulted in the arrival of 12 Libyan teachers who embarked on Arabic language lessons in state schools. Initially optional, Arabic became compulsory in both government and private secondary schools.

Not only did Libya send more teachers but it also commissioned Rageb Diaf, the Libyan supervisor of Arabic teaching in Malta, to produce an Arabic textbook specially written and designed for Maltese students with the Libyan authorities providing hundreds of copies of this series of books free of charge. The textbooks were also recorded onto tapes, which were distributed freely. Besides, an annual prize day for successful students of Arabic was organised with the winners being awarded free trips to Libya.

However, political controversies surrounding the association between Maltese leader Dom Mintoff and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi led to Arabic’s optional status after the 1987 election.

Despite Malta’s political rhetoric of serving as a bridge between Europe and the Arab world, and efforts to attract investment from Gulf states like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, interest in Arabic language education among younger students has not surged substantially.