Why is it still elusive? Infusing multicultural education in Maltese schools

In a rapidly changing world where intercultural understanding and communication are essential ingredients for the world to progress peacefully, we must ensure that its young citizens experience the intrinsic benefit which a truly inclusive school environm

Research shows that the major threats towards children becoming ‘at risk’ are rejection, unfair competition, onesize-fits-all teaching, low expectations and repeated academic failures. Not only societal structures have changed but the context in which we as teachers and school administrators operate has changed.

Yesterday’s teaching methods cannot be propelled in today’s classroom as the ever increasing demands of the digital era enthuses teachers to adopt strategies which are more sophisticated and geared towards tomorrow’s educational demands. Amidst such drive towards more technological advancement, school must recognise that each person is unique, is inclined to different learning styles, and capable of success in his/her own way. Teachers need to be flexible and knowledgeable enough to teach all students irrespective of learning styles. Such a role shapes a teacher to be more of a facilitator of learning rather than a mere conveyer. A student’s ethnic identity is a crucial factor for teachers and school administrators to consider when planning their teaching enterprise. One needs to show respect and endorse the cultural heritage brought at school by all children and adapt the teaching and learning strategies which suite the ethnic composition of the classroom.

School leaders are duty-bound to foster a positive multicultural climate, mitigate against racism and stereotypes, enhance selfworth and promote crosscultural empathy. Multicultural education does not advocate solely for changes in curriculum but for changes in school climate and pedagogical strategies. Teachers and school administrators need to have high expectations for all students and respond to their needs in positive and caring ways. Curricular frameworks need to actively reflect the experiences, cultures, and perspectives of a range of cultural and ethnic groups. Moreover, teaching styles employed by teachers need to match the learning, cultural, and motivational styles of the students. Respect is an essential prerequisite. Educational stakeholders including the Educational Directorate need to seriously embark on designing programmes aimed at catering for students’ first languages and dialects irrespective of their origin. Books, digital resources and other teaching materials need to encompass the range of cultural, ethnic, and racial groups present in the classroom. Also, the assessment and testing procedures used in schools need to be culturally sensitive and designed in ways which respect the range of abilities present in class.

For schools to function effectively they need to make sure that multicultural perspectives are incorporated into all aspects of school life by promoting diversity as a positive learning experience.

Multicultural, anti-racism, and human rights perspectives need to be clearly infused in school’s mission statements. School senior management teams need to be strong advocates of anti-bias curricula and be catalysts for students’ intercultural understanding and cross-cultural communication skills. These concepts are just a small ripple in a very large, ever growing pond. The onus of ensuring equitable opportunities in education for all students, regardless of race, abilities, creed, colour, sexual orientation, age, gender or religion resides in each and every one of us. Let us all embark on this exciting learning curve. We deserve it.

Brian Vassallo is Assistant Head at the Mariam Albatool School. He is a Masters graduate from the University of Leicester (UK) and specialises in educational leadership in multicultural schools. He is also a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta.