EFL in Malta
Malta has quickly become one of the leading EFL destinations in Europe, as the island’s links with the English language combined with its fantastic natural resources have made it an attractive location for agents and private students alike.
With its rich history of being visited and often invaded by empires over the centuries, Malta as a nation has learned well the importance of resilience, communication and adapting to new cultures and cultural influences. When Malta joined the British Empire in 1800, English, along with Maltese, began to displace Italian as the nation’s dominant language. By the time Malta gained its independence from the British Empire in 1963, English had become one of Malta’s two official languages, the other being Maltese, and the judiciary, medical services and government used English as well as their mother tongue.
The effect of this on modern Malta is a legacy of language ability and familiarity across the island, and EFL schools are steadily increasing as word gets out about both the nation’s academic standards and its beautiful location in the Southern Mediterranean. As the number of schools increased, large franchises shared the market with a number of smaller, private schools, and the choice for students became wider and more comprehensive, which in turn increased the island’s appeal both in Europe and globally scale. New markets, such as the Far East and South America, opened Malta’s schools and large numbers of students arrived to study English in Europe.
In the past, Malta’s main language markets were located much closer to home, with its European neighbors providing most of its EFL customers, but today Malta has definitely broadened its reach in line with the nation’s political and social transition to the European Union in 2004 and the adoption of the euro as the official currency in early 2008.
The courses offered by different English schools in Malta vary widely, but most offer a general English course, many of which are accredited by Cambridge, IELTS and TOEFL. Other courses cover more specialist areas of English use, such as Elanguest Ltd in St Julian’s who have worked to develop Medical English courses with the European Union and offer Business English and Medical English courses alongside their general English curriculum . With English now being used as the ‘lingua franca’ of international business and medicine, schools in Malta saw and began to realize their potential to offer the best in EFL education and take advantage of the island’s location and human resources to meet this new challenge.
Although the Maltese EFL market is growing, it is also well established, with many schools operating for several decades, and the skills of local teachers combined with their natural language abilities and the general character of the nation will ensure that learning The EFL will continue to prosper and expand in Malta in the years to come.
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