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Accuracy in news reporting by Malta's PBS [Malta Independent, The]
[April 21, 2014]

Accuracy in news reporting by Malta's PBS [Malta Independent, The]


(Malta Independent, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)     About a fortnight ago, in one of Malta's national broadcaster's news bulletins, I heard over the internet the excited voice of the announcer informing his listeners of the teaching of Maltese at Bremen University in Germany.



Quite an achievement indeed and who can blame the announcer for the genuine excitement! Hence I reserve no less than the highest accolades for such an attainment in the teaching of Maltese beyond Malta's horizons. Well done to Professor Thomas Stolz, of Bremen University, the principal driving force behind this endeavour. The same laudations go to the good professor's entourage of scholars and academics from around the globe, including those from Malta, who are contributing their own efforts in strengthening this admirable development.

Alas, what I have taken exception to is the inaccuracy in reporting the historical facts by Malta's PBS that this development is "the first ever instance globally, of Maltese being taught outside of Malta at tertiary level".


Without wishing to denigrate by any means the great merits of Bremen's achievement in the teaching of Maltese outside of Malta – a cause which, within an Australian framework, I proudly defend as my sole original initiative, since its inception in May 1968 – one would judiciously comprehend the hurt inflicted upon my well-documented historicity in this sphere, ( The Maltese Herald, Sydney, May 1968), preceding the Bremen achievement by no less than 46 years! I take a certain pride in being the one to establish the first ever Maltese language school outside of Malta, and hence globally, at St Gertrude's Catholic School, Justin Street, Smithfield, NSW. All this happened within a viciously antagonistic attitude towards the teaching of ethnic languages, even from within our own Maltese Australian community, at the time.  As a relevant aside but concerning the same topic, I have alerted the Akkademja tal-Malti more than once, of this significant golden date (May 1968), in the annals of the teaching of Maltese outside of Malta. So far it has not been officially included in its official website, alongside the other notable dates already appearing thereon.

Ironically, the Akkademja itself – a national respected body of learned individuals of Maltese –acknowledged this Sydney based initiative at its executive meeting of 24 th November 1968, when it graciously appointed me Academic Member (Australia Correspondent) – without me ever having applied for membership. The Akkademja's official citation, written in freehand on parchment paper, in illuminated form, which I treasure for the coveted recognition it is, reads as follows: "The Council of the Academy of Maltese, at its meeting dated 24 th November 1968 appointed Roderick Bovingdon (Rodrig Bin Bovingdon) Academic Member for his work in Maltese literature and to the credit of the Maltese language. The Council acknowledges RBB as one who has  elevated and respected our national language and therefore deserves to be affiliated with the Society of Writers and of those who through their ability the Maltese language is becoming increasingly enriched and ever progressing" (My English translation).

A copy of the original citation, in Maltese of course, is included.

In 1938, a similar appointment was bestowed by the Akkademja on the highly respected English biblical scholar, the Reverend Edmund Sutcliffe in appreciation of his contribution to studies in the Maltese language.

Finally, for the fuller participation of the reader, my official complaint to Malta's PBS regarding the historical and chronological inaccuracy in reporting this event, was conveyed to them by email in a most gracious manner. To this initial objection I never received due acknowledgement. After about a week, I repeated my complaint directly to PBS, with an added notation referring to my previous initial submission. Again this reminder was ignored.

Hence my public revelation.

Finally, even though my initial launching of the first ever Maltese language teaching school outside of Malta was of primary level, the relative importance of this pioneering endeavour, in excess of four-and-a-half decades prior to the present admirable efforts in Bremen, ought to be self evident. Furthermore, to complete the record, 13 years after my initial pioneering endeavours, Joseph Abela of Melbourne (now deceased) commenced Maltese classes at tertiary level at the Phillip Institute of Technology in 1981. Yet again, even prior to this effort, in faraway Toronto, Canada, around the second half of the 1970s, Dionysius Agius (now Professor of Arabic at Exeter University) commenced teaching Maltese for the first time in Canada.

Prior to my above-mentioned 1968 efforts, I had already given private lessons in Maltese (1966) to the local parish priest at Smithfield, NSW. At about the same time, I recorded, again for the first time ever, a series of Maltese language lessons for the Sydney University Language Laboratories in 1966.

  Roderick Bovingdon Merrylands Australia (c) 2013 Standard Publications Ltd. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info, an Albawaba.com company

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