Academia
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The School of Maltese at the University in 1825
Two hundred years ago, in April 1825, Mikiel Anton Vassalli opened the first School of Maltese at the University of Malta in what is now known as the Valletta Campus. During a commemoration of this historic event held on 16 December 2025, with the participation of the Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella, David Agius Muscat and Olvin Vella presented new historical documentation on this important episode in the history of the University. This documentation includes the programme of lectures, with the days and times, as well as the content of the lessons. It represents the first detailed reference we have to the teaching of Maltese at the University.
In his opening address, the Rector of the University stated that he immediately accepted the invitation of the Department of Maltese to take part in this historic event because, as a national institution, the University of Malta must safeguard the central role of Maltese as the national language. While acknowledging and promoting the international dimension of the University and the importance of the use of English in administration and teaching, Professor Vella recalled that the University of Malta is the only tertiary institution that requires Maltese students to hold a qualification in Maltese at undergraduate level. The Rector insisted that, through his presence at this commemoration, he wished to reaffirm this position of the University, because any change to it would cause serious — and possibly irreparable — damage to the study of Maltese, the national language.
David Agius Muscat is a senior lecturer in the and has just completed his PhD with research on the historical development of Maltese in the first half of the nineteenth century. He is the author of a biography of Fortunato Panzavecchia and a publication on new findings related to Mikiel Anton Vassalli. It was among the papers of Panzavecchia, the secretary of the University Council, that he discovered this new documentation. In his talk about “Vassalli and the First School of Maltese at the University in 1825,” the speaker announced that he is about to publish a booklet that contains this new information related to the teaching of this first Maltese course at the University.
Dr Olvin Vella, senior lecturer in the Department of Maltese at the University, who coordinated the academic contributions presented during the commemoration, has long been involved in initiatives aimed at publishing research carried out by various scholars on Vassalli. In his contribution entitled “Vassalli and the Researchers,” Dr Vella spoke about the work of Mons. Karm Sant, Prof. Frans Ciappara, 臓u偶è Cassar Pullicino, Prof. Alain Blondy, and David Agius Muscat in shedding light on the lesser-known aspects of Vassalli’s work. He noted the strong spirit of collaboration that has long existed among researchers and how, thanks to their efforts, we have today acquired a substantial body of knowledge about this key figure in the history of Malta and of the Maltese language.
The other two speakers were Prof. Frans Ciappara, a leading historian of the second half of the eighteenth century, and Dr Sergio Grech, President of the Akkademja tal-Malti (Maltese Language Academy). Professor Ciappara is the author of an authoritative biography entitled Mikiel Anton Vassalli: An Enlightened Maltese Reformer (Department of Maltese and Midsea, 2014). In his talk on “Vassalli and Education,” Ciappara focused on the teaching of Maltese in the light of the Progetto, through which Vassalli sought to emancipate his people by means of education and the use of Maltese as the national language — a mission he continued to pursue after returning from exile in 1820. Ciappara gave an overview of the historical and cultural context needed to properly assess Vassalli’s contribution and referred to his guiding principle that the Maltese language deserved to become the language of the law, the language used by the Church to communicate with the people, and a core subject in schools.
Dr Sergio Grech, editor of the series Bejn Storja u Miti and author of several biographies, who has recently worked on the history of the Department of Maltese at the University, gave a talk about “臓u偶è Aquilina and the Birth of the Department of Maltese” in which he examined the forty-year career of the professor who established the Chair of Maltese at the University in 1937. In addition to building the various fields of the Department on solid foundations, Aquilina was a prominent figure at the University and in public life in Malta and abroad, and thus a worthy heir to Vassalli.
In the closing address, “Two Hundred Years after Vassalli,” Prof. Adrian Grima, Head of the Department of Maltese, spoke about the influence of Vassalli’s personality and work on the Department today. Vassalli was the first expert on Maltese, but he also studied Semitic languages and Romance languages such as Latin, Italian, and French, a background that greatly assisted him in studying and teaching Maltese — a language he considered fundamental to the spread of education among the entire population. While he was the first person to describe Malta as a nation, he was also an internationalist who wanted his country to benefit from the advances taking place abroad, where he spent a total of twenty years of his life.
At the end of the commemoration, the Department of Maltese presented the Rector with a number of books related to Vassalli published by the Department.
This event was organised by the Department of Maltese in collaboration with the Akkademja tal-Malti. The organisers will make recordings of the presentations available on and .
Il-Ftu魔 tal-Iskola tal-Malti fl-Università fl-1825
Mitejn sena ilu, f’April tal-1825, Mikiel Anton Vassalli feta魔 l-ewwel skola tal-Malti fl-Università ta’ Malta, fil-bini storiku tal-Belt illum mag魔ruf b魔ala l-Valletta Campus. Waqt kommemorazzjoni ta’ din il-摹rajja storika fis-16 ta’ Di膵embru 2025, bis-sehem tar-Rettur, il-Prof. Alfred J. Vella, David Agius Muscat u Olvin Vella tkellmu dwar dokumentazzjoni 摹dida li tinkludi l-programm tal-lezzjonijiet, bil-摹ranet u l-魔inijiet, u l-kontenut tal-lezzjonijiet. Din hija l-ewwel referenza dettaljata li g魔andna g魔at-tag魔lim tal-Malti fl-Università.
Fid-diskors tal-ftu魔, ir-Rettur tal-Università qal li mill-ewwel a膵膵etta l-istedina tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti biex jie魔u sehem f’dan l-avveniment storiku g魔ax jemmen li b魔ala istituzzjoni nazzjonali, l-Università ta’ Malta g魔andha t魔ares ir-rwol 膵entrali tal-Malti b魔ala l-ilsien nazzjonali. Waqt li tkellem fuq id-dimensjoni internazzjonali tal-Università u l-importanza tal-u偶u tal-Ingli偶 fl-amministrazzjoni u t-tag魔lim, il-Prof. Vella fakkar li l-Università ta’ Malta hija l-unika istituzzjoni terzjarja li tesi摹i kwalifika fil-Malti mill-istudenti Maltin li jag魔mlu l-korsijiet tag魔ha fl-ewwel grad. Ir-Rettur insista li, bil-pre偶enza tieg魔u f’din il-kommemorazzjoni, ried jirriafferma din il-po偶izzjoni tal-Università, g魔ax, jekk tinbidel, issir 魔sara kbira — u forsi irreparabbli — lill-istudju tal-Malti, l-ilsien nazzjonali.
David Agius Muscat huwa lettur anzjan fid- u g魔adu kemm temm id-dottorat tieg魔u b’ri膵erka fuq il-Malti fl-ewwel nofs tas-seklu dsatax. Huwa l-awtur ta’ bijografija dwar Fortunato Panzavecchia u ta’ pubblikazzjoni dwar sejbiet 摹odda relatati ma’ Mikiel Anton Vassalli. Kien qalb il-karti ta’ Panzavecchia, is-segretarju tal-Kunsill tal-Università, li sab din id-dokumentazzjoni 摹dida. Fid-diskors tieg魔u dwar “Vassalli u l-Ewwel Skola tal-Malti fl-Università fl-1825,” il-kelliem 魔abbar li wasal biex jippubblika ktejjeb b'tag魔rif 摹did marbut mal-bidu tal-kors tal-Malti fl-Università.
Dr Olvin Vella, lettur anzjan fid-Dipartiment tal-Malti fl-Università, li kkoordina l-interventi akkademi膵i li saru fil-kommemorazzjoni, ilu involut f’inizjattivi biex ti摹i ppubblikata r-ri膵erka li qed issir minn 魔afna nies fuq Vassalli. F’intervent dwar “Vassalli u r-Ri膵erkaturi,” Dr Vella tkellem fuq is-sehem tal-Mons Karm Sant, il-Prof. Frans Ciappara, 臓u偶è Cassar Pullicino, il-Prof. Alain Blondy u David Agius Muscat biex idawlu l-aktar partijiet oskuri tal-魔idma ta’ Vassalli. Huwa nnota l-ispirtu ta’ kollaborazzjoni s魔i魔a li ilha te偶isti bejn ir-ri膵erkaturi u kif bis-sa魔魔a tag魔hom illum ksibna g魔arfien kbir fuq dan il-persona摹摹 ewlieni fl-istorja ta’ Malta u tal-Malti.
I偶-偶ew摹 kelliema l-o魔ra kienu l-Prof. Frans Ciappara u Dr Sergio Grech, President tal-Akkademja tal-Malti. Il-Prof. Ciappara, storiku ewlieni tat-tieni nofs tas-seklu tmintax u awtur ta’ bijografija awtorevoli u a摹摹ornata bl-isem ta’ Mikiel Anton Vassalli: An Enlightened Maltese Reformer (Id-Dipartiment tal-Malti u Midsea, 2014). Fid-diskors tieg魔u fuq “Vassalli u l-Edukazzjoni,” Ciappara ffoka fuq it-tag魔lim tal-Malti fid-dawl tal-Progetto li bih Vassalli ried jifdi lil niesu permezz bl-edukazzjoni u l-lingwa nazzjonali – missjoni li kompla jwettaq meta 摹ie lura mill-e偶ilju fl-1820. Il-Prof. Ciappara spjega l-kuntest storiku u kulturali li ne魔tie摹u biex inkejlu kif jixraq is-sehem ta’ Vassalli u rrefera g魔all-idea ewlenija ta’ Vassalli li l-ilsien Malti kien 魔aqqu jsir l-ilsien tal-li摹ijiet, l-ilsien im魔addem mill-Knisja biex tikkomunika mal-kotra, u su摹摹ett ewlieni fl-iskejjel.
Dr Sergio Grech, l-editur tas-sensiela Bejn Storja u Miti u awtur ta’ numru ta’ bijografiji, u li dan l-a魔魔ar 魔adem fuq l-istorja tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti tal-Università, g魔amel diskors dwar “臓u偶è Aquilina u t-Twelid tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti,” li fih 魔ares lejn il-魔idma, fuq medda ta’ erbg魔in sena, tal-professur li waqqaf il-katedra tal-Malti fl-Università fl-1937. Minbarra li bena d-Dipartiment, fl-oqsma differenti tieg魔u, fuq sisien sodi, Aquilina kien figura prominenti fl-Università u fil-魔ajja pubblika f’Malta u barra, u g魔alhekk eredi denju ta’ Vassalli.
Fid-diskors tal-g魔eluq, “Mitejn Sena wara Vassalli,” il-Prof. Adrian Grima, Kap tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti, tkellem dwar l-influwenza tal-personalità u l-魔idma ta’ Vassalli fuq id-Dipartiment tal-Malti llum. Vassalli kien l-ewwel espert tal-Malti imma kien ukoll mg魔allem tal-ilsna Semiti膵i u lingwi Rumanzi b魔al-Latin, it-Taljan, u l-Fran膵i偶, u dan g魔enu sew biex jistudja u jg魔allem il-Malti, ilsien li g魔alih kien fundamentali biex tinfirex l-edukazzjoni fost il-poplu kollu. Filwaqt li kien l-ewwel bniedem li sejja魔 lil Malta nazzjon, kien ukoll internazzjonalista li ried li pajji偶u jiddakkar mill-avvanzi li kienu qeg魔din ise魔魔u barra minn Malta, fejn b’kollox qatta’ g魔oxrin sena minn 魔ajtu.
鈥婩i tmiem il-kommemorazzjoni, id-Dipartiment tal-Malti ppre偶enta lir-Rettur鈥� g魔add ta' kotba marbutin ma' Vassalli li 摹ew ippubblikati mid-Dipartiment.
Dan l-avveniment 摹ie organizzat mid-Dipartiment tal-Malti bi s魔ab mal-Akkademja tal-Malti. L-organizzaturi se jtellg魔u l-filmati tal-interventi li saru fuq u .
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