‘All children and adults should have access to literacy’ – CEO of the National Literacy Agency
Serving as a flagship for the Ministry of Education, the National Literacy Agency is responsible for various roles that aim to keep the literacy rate high in our communities. The agency seeks to promote and sustain lifelong, high-quality literacy practices. It also strives to improve literacy outcomes, resulting in inclusive practices, higher educational qualifications, and better job prospects.
To maintain this role, CEO David Muscat said in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, the agency “designs and delivers programs that promote literacy skills and practices.” Examples of these programs and initiatives are Read With Me, Charm of Stories and Reading Ambassadors.
Phil Read With Me and Charm of Stories, stories are read aloud in Maltese or English to the children, accompanied by their parents. “These sessions are free of charge and the main goal is to expose children to the beauty of reading and serve as models for adults on how to read to children.” Other roles of the Agency include:
· Support for children with literacy difficulties (including literacy intervention sessions);
· Support for the production and publication of literacy resources (such as applications);
· providing access to and distribution of literacy resources (such as books);
· Having specialized units to support school libraries;
· Promoting the professional development of school staff and educators.
The Chief Executive of the Agency was asked to comment on the literacy status of Malta, and what ages are more susceptible to literacy issues: “our international literacy scores such as those from PISA and PIRLS indicate that our students perform below the international reading average. The National Literacy Agency decided to focus on early literacy intervention, as we feel this is where we can be most effective with longer lasting effects. One such literacy intervention program is Reading Recovery, which is an intensive, high-quality program. It intervenes with six-year-old children, who may have low literacy performance. So far the program has registered considerable success, as many of the children who have participated in it have been able to continue the regular literacy program in the classroom with their peers. Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected progress on such a program, however, we are now working hard to get things back on track.”
the Independent Malta on Sunday he also asked about the Bilingualism Policy that has just been launched in primary schools: “The Language Policy for the Junior Years in Malta and Gozo promotes and supports bilingualism among all children in the Junior Years (age 7-11). Malta is becoming increasingly multicultural and multilingual. However, it remains first and foremost a bilingual nation with Maltese and English as its official languages,” stated Muscat.
The policy follows the publication of the Language Policy for the Early Years in 2016. The document seeks to present the concept of agency where children, parents and educators should be empowered to make informed decisions about the promotion of bilingualism at home and in educational settings. All stakeholders should foster positive attitudes towards Maltese, English and other languages and support school language education policies and practices. Children should be supported so that they can engage in activities that promote their development in Maltese and English. As Muscat continued: “it also emphasizes the central role of the appropriate use of language from the Primary years for effective, intercultural and international communication. We must not forget that language is our strongest tool for peace and global understanding in our increasingly multilingual society.”
The CEO of the Agency was also asked about the National Literacy Strategy for All 2021-2030. “The NLS (2021-2030) aims to ensure that all children and adults have access to literacy so that they can be productive and successful members of society. It is built on four pillars which are: Literacy in the community, literacy in education, literacy resources and professional development and research. Literacy development does not just happen in the classroom, but is a lifelong learning process that takes place from birth. This is the main guiding principle of this Strategy, and is the driving force behind the initiatives of the National Literacy Agency.”
Regarding what schools can do, Muscat said that “children should be exposed to significant literacy experiences through reading and writing so that they can live a productive and effective life in society. Literacy must be acquired and learned in meaningful contexts and not just limited to learning isolated letters and spellings. It should be taught in a balanced way, following the model of balanced literacy. In a balanced literacy model, the teacher makes use of various approaches and teaching methods that guide students from controlled literacy learning to an approach that focuses more on student autonomy. Also, when we think of literacy we often limit our definition to reading and writing. However, speaking and listening skills are the basis of sound literacy. Oracy is a precursor to literacy. Our children must be guided to develop their speaking and comprehension skills in both Maltese and English so that they can become good communicators as adults.”
Literacy is also embedded in language learning, he concluded Muscat: “languages should be taught in a communicative way where the emphasis is on ways in which we can communicate in various contexts. This means that a sole focus on decontextualized grammar rules may not be the best way to ensure that students become effective communicators, both as speakers and writers.”
More information about the National Literacy Agency can be found here: https://education.gov.mt/en/nationalliteracyagency/Pages/nationalliteracyagency.aspx.