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MINISTER REFALO CALLS FOR FURTHER QUALITATIVE IMPROVEMENT IN TOEFL SECTOR
pr1289
04/09/2001
04/09/2001
| Following the TOEFL (Teaching of English as a Foreign | Language) sector's resounding success in 2001, Minister for Tourism Michael Refalo insisted that the current momentum could only be sustained if parallel qualitative improvements accompany recent quantitative increases. The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of a new establishment for adult learning launched by the European Centre of English Language Studies. |
| The Minister said that Malta's TOEFL schools had | received top marks in the German adult education sector. In this most specialised sector, with English fast becoming the language of international conversation and business, not least the lingua franca of the tourist industry, Dr. Refalo said that Malta should maximise on one of its assets, the widespread knowledge by Maltese of the English language. |
| The adult sector attracted professionals, executives, | businessmen and members of the political class, adding that Malta "has hosted a good number of Cabinet Ministers from Central and Eastern European countries who have come here specifically to learn or improve their knowledge of written and spoken English." |
| Malta's Language Schools attract students from many | countries. "EC alone has hosted students belonging to 43 different nationalities. Your student nationality mix is every tourism minister's dream with no nationality exceeding 19% and with a spread ranging right across from the Atlantic to the Urals, and, with the obvious exception of Oceania, drawing custom from all the other continents." |
| "TOEFL is a growth area, and this year has been | exponentially good. I believe that this is the appropriate occasion for me to ask TOEFL heads of schools to give some serious thought to what has brought about this favourable scenario. Is it wise just to lie back, savour and boast about a temporary or passing increase in the number o |
| Should we see this boom simply as the deserved return | and reward for the hard work put in by the sector, by Government and the Malta Tourism Authority, and do nothing about it? More importantly, I believe that the sector should look ahead and view the additional volume as a platform for further qualitative growth and quantitative expansion?" |
| Minister Refalo said that EC's management had wisely | decided to follow the latter course. "The establishment which we are inaugurating this evening reflects a two pronged thrust. That of providing adult students with a quality, state of the art centre for tuition and of making available additional space in anticipation of the sector's further expansion." |
| Minister Refalo added that according to MTA's | estimates, during 2001 Malta and Gozo would welcome around 40 to 45 thousand visitors who specifically come to learn and improve their knowledge of English. Contrary to popular perception the sector is not low revenue. The annual increase in the number of language Schools proved that Malta offers an exciting and profitable future for investment in the sector. |
| "No one in his right mind invests good money for | low or no returns." |
| The Minister said that he was presently also | deputising for the Minister for Education who is away from Malta, and therefore coincidentally represented the two arms of government which have a close and direct interest in the well being and monitoring of the sector. Minister Refalo said that he had read reports of Minister Galea's visit to EC and congratulated managing director Andrew Mangion for gaining the prestigious ISO 9001 : 2000 quality award. |
| "The Education Ministry's Monitoring Board does | much to ensure top quality tuition. That said, the search for excellence must continue unabated. The silliest thing one can do in the circumstances is to relax official vigilance thereby unwittingly engineering lower standards of tuition." |
| The Minister said that generally speaking the TOEFL | product rated a good 8 on a scale of 10 "it is however the reasons behind the loss of those two points which unfortunately attract media attention and give the whole sector undeserved black marks." |
| Minister Refalo confirmed that around 1000 host | families were licensed to take in paying guests, including language school students. Tourism Department officials inspect premises to ensure that the accommodation offered is up to standard. |
| "That does not mean that somewhere along the way | host families do not add extra rooms and beds. Nor does it mean that all students are well looked after all the time. It would be folly on my part to presume that all host families are perfect. It is likewise impossible to expect Tourism inspectors to do more than service and investigate complaints received while visitors are still in Malta. |
| We rely on information given by students, supplied by | schools, by neighbours in the case of unlicensed accommodation, and on a few sporadic snap inspections to keep every one on their toes." |
| The Minister said that in the last months HCEB had | withdrawn a number "host family" licences and had found foreigners residing in unlicensed accommodation. He added that as the law provided stiff penalties it was foolish that school managements and families take such risks. |
| Minister Refalo recalled that on the 1st | June he had invited all heads of TOEFL schools to discuss the sector's challenges and prospects. He would be doing so again to consult the schools on the best way of monitoring the quality and accommodation of host families. |
| "Very commendably many language schools ask | their students to complete questionnaires to give their opinion on host families, on the quality of teaching and activities. This is an excellent means of measuring customers' expectations and reactions. Therefore, as from 2002 the Ministry will request TOEFL schools to supply their clients with an official questionnaire to ensure primarily that students are placed in approved, licensed accommodation and enable MTA to monitor host families' performance and the services they provide." |
| The Minister added that while he accepted that TOEFL | schools worked for a profit motive, they were primarily a service. "Service depends on just and equitable remuneration. How can one expect host families to give top class service for the rate currently paid to them by a number of schools ?" |
| "In this sector it is nonsense to distinguish | between high and low season rates when the cost of utilities and food are not subject to seasonal fluctuations. Unless TOEFL schools understand that host families are not simply B & B outlets but can be a valuable home extension of the classroom they will continue to experience difficulty in finding the right families to provide the appropriate board and lodging services as well as the home from home atmosphere for their clients. |
| I believe that before it is too late and before the | sector suffers further losses in the number of families willing and able to host students, the managements of TOEFL schools should seriously consider offering better rates and remuneration packages to host families." |
| The Minister said that although he preferred | students, especially youngsters, to be with host families during their stay in Malta and Gozo, the TOEFL schools should also consider other residential alternatives such as taking over small three star hotels and guest houses to accommodate their clients. |
| "If the sector manages to solve these problems, | then I will happily revise and up my rating of the product offered by TOEFL schools hopefully to ten on ten. The product is good, often excellent but sometimes requires more thought and a more sensitive appreciation for the role and requirements of each of its constituent elements: teachers, administrators, host families and, first and foremost, the client." |
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