Culturally responsive education in Malta

Abstract

Over the past few years Maltese society has been challenged by the increasing presence of persons from different cultural groups in the community. People of diverse cultures have always been present in Malta and the response to these cultures varied from their wholesale rejection to an uninformed and uneducated “welcoming” of these people. In local schools the situation is similar. It is common to encounter discriminatory attitudes by students, parents, educators and the general public where the education of diverse others is concerned. On the other hand those who acknowledge the right of culturally different people to a quality education, do not realize that an add-and-mix approach to educational provision is neither effective nor just “for all children to succeed”. Furthermore at post secondary and tertiary levels, the number of foreign students of a wider spectrum of cultures has also increased. Although these students have usually been welcome because of the financial contribution they make to the institutions, the way they influence our higher education as culturally different students has not been analysed to ascertain how this can ensure a better quality of education for themselves as well as Maltese students. It is clear that a successful future of our university includes the educational provision for culturally different others. These socio-educational challenges call for a thorough understanding of the issues involved in educating the culturally different and a deeper study of the knowledge, attitudes and skills that are needed to develop enriching and just educational environments.