MATEFL Statute
MALTA ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE
JEANETTE THEUMA
Statute approved at meetings on 8 and 15th December 1994 and amended at AGMs on 22nd April 1998, 14th
April 1999, 1st January 2013 and 19th February 2026.
www.matefl.org
info@matefl.org
Malta Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language
1. Name
The name of this organisation shall be Malta Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language,
hereinafter MATEFL.
2. Aims and Objectives
a) MATEFL shall strive to promote the development of EFL practitioners in Malta as autonomous,
reflective professionals. The association sets itself the task of facilitating the dissemination, exchange and
sharing of ideas among EFL teachers working in different schools.
b) MATEFL seeks to further EFL teachers’ awareness of:
i) the theoretical underpinnings of language learning/teaching in general, and EFL in particular;
ii) TEFL methodologies, approaches, and techniques;
iii) resource material for TEFL, its creation, and principled exploitation.
c) The Association shall strive to keep EFL teachers in Malta abreast of developments in TEFL around the
world.
3. Methods
MATEFL shall seek to achieve the above aims by means of the organisation of talks, seminars, workshops,
and conferences on topics relevant to the theory and classroom practice of TEFL, and by any other
suitable means. Furthermore, it shall promote the development of teachers’ Special Interest Groups
(SIGs)
4. Independent status
While willing to co-operate with other local or international bodies in the furtherance of its aims, MATEFL
is and shall remain distinct from and independent of any particular EFL school, any organised federation
or group of such schools or any EFL teachers’ trade union, should such a body be set up.
5. International outreach
In order to ensure that EFL in Malta is open to international developments in the field and situated within
the global EFL scene, MATEFL shall establish and maintain working relations with like-minded |EFL
organisations abroad. In particular, it shall seek and maintain affiliation with the International Association
of Teachers of English as a Foreign language (IATEFL).
6. Membership
a) Membership of MATEFL is open to all teachers of EFL current or past, and to those who have
undergone a training course in TEFL, irrespective of other considerations of experience, qualifications or
nationality.
b) The committee reserves the right to refuse applications for membership, at its discretion, provided that
reasons for the refusal are given to the applicant.
c) An annual membership fee of 25 euro is chargeable. The membership period covered by the annual
fee shall run from 1st January to 31st December of each year.
7. Officers and Committee of the Association
a) The elected officers of the Association holding executive positions shall be:
i) Chair
ii) Vice-Chair
iii) Secretary
iv) Treasurer
b) Elections of the officers of the Association shall be held every two years on the occasion of the Annual
General Meeting. Election shall be by secret ballot of all paid-up members present and voting at the
AGM.
c) The Association shall have a Committee consisting of the officers mentioned in paragraph 7 a) above
together with not more than four additional elected members. All elected members have full voting
rights at committee meetings.
d) The four officers mentioned in paragraph 7 a) above and the other elected members of the Committee
shall serve for two years after election, and shall be eligible for re-election thereafter.
e) The Committee may from time to time co-opt non-voting members of the Committee from among the
membership of MATEFL at its discretion. Co-option is until the date of the next General Meeting and shall be
renewable.
f) Term of Office of the Chair
i) The Chair shall serve a term of office of two (2) years, after which they shall not be eligible
for re-election to the position of Chair unless the position of Vice-chair has not been filled.
ii) Upon the expiry of the Chair’s term of office, the Vice-Chair shall automatically assume the
position of Chair without the need for a separate election.
iii) A retiring Chair may stand for election or be appointed to any other position on the
Committee, including that of an additional elected member, and shall retain full voting rights
in any such capacity.
iv) In the event of the Chair vacating the position before the expiry of their term of office,
whether by resignation, incapacity, or otherwise, the Vice-Chair shall assume the role of
Chair for the remainder of that term.
g) Mentorship Obligation
It shall be the duty of the Chair to mentor the Vice-Chair throughout the duration of their
term of office, with a view to preparing the Vice-Chair to assume the full responsibilities of
the Chair.
h) Eligibility for Re-election to the Position of Vice-Chair
a. A former Chair or former Vice-Chair shall not be eligible to stand for election to the position
of Vice-Chair until a period of two (2) years has elapsed since they last held the office of
Chair or Vice-Chair. For the avoidance of doubt, this period shall be calculated from the date
on which the person ceased to hold either office.
b. Upon election to the position of Vice-Chair, such a person shall be subject to all the
provisions of paragraph 7 d) above upon subsequently assuming the role of Chair.
8. Amendments to this Statute
The Committee shall have the power to alter the Statute, other than Paragraphs 2 and 4 and this
paragraph but no such alteration shall take effect until the same has been confirmed by a two-thirds
majority of the members present and voting at a General Meeting. Proposed amendments to other parts
of the Statute should either be supported by at least two-third of the voting members of the Committee
or submitted to the Chair not less than 60 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting, with the
signed support of at least 10% of the currently paid-up members. Any such proposed amendments shall
be distributed to members at least 30 days before the Annual General Meeting. To become effective,
the proposed amendment must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting at
the AGM.
9. Audit of Accounts
The accounts of the Association shall be audited annually and the report of the audit shall be presented to
the Annual General Meeting for approval.
10. Annual General Meeting
a) The AGM of the Association shall be held every year within the first 6 months of the year to transact
the following business:
to receive and, if approved, adopt a statement of the Association’s accounts to the end of the preceding
calendar year;
i) to receive reports of the activities of officers, the Committee, and the Association;
ii) to appoint an Auditor or Auditors;
iii) to consider any proposals for amendments of this Statute as per paragraph 8;
iv) to consider any matters brought before it by the Committee or members;
v) to consider Resolutions proposed and seconded by members and received by the Committee for
inclusion in the Agenda.
b) Notice convening the Annual General Meeting shall be send to members not less than 30 days before
the meeting and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.
11. Extraordinary General Meeting
a) An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Committee at any time, or must be convened
within 30 days from the receipt of a requisition in writing to the Secretary signed by not less than 20% of
the paid-up members specifying the object of the meeting for any of the following purposes:
to deal with any special matter the Committee may desire to place before the members;
to receive the resignation of the Committee en bloc or to remove any member or members thereof from
office, and to fill the vacancy/ies thereby arising.
to deal with any special matter which the members requiring the meeting may desire to place before the
Association.
b) Notice convening an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be sent to members not less than 15 days
before the meeting is due to be held and shall specify the matters to be dealt with.
12. Quorum and Voting
a) At Committee meetings not less than half of the voting members shall form a quorum, provided that
two of the four officers of the Association are among that number.
b) At General Meetings, 30% of the paid-up members shall form a quorum.
c) Elections at General Meetings shall be by secret ballot, and all other voting shall be by show of hands,
unless any member requests a secret ballot.
13. Remuneration
The whole of the income and property of the Association shall be applied solely to the promotion of its
aims, objectives and methods as set out in Paragraphs 2 and 3. No part of MATEFL income or property
shall be paid to any member, except for services actually rendered to MATEFL, other than service on its
committee. This rule shall also not preclude the reimbursement of any expenses incurred in the service of
MATEFL as approved by the Treasurer.
14. Dissolution of the Association
a) MATEFL may be dissolved:
i) by a decision taken in this regard by two-thirds of the members present and voting at a
General Meeting;
ii) if three successive General Meetings, convened within ninety days of each other, lack a
sufficient quorum of members to conduct business.
b) Any property remaining after the Association has been dissolved and all its debts and
liabilities have been settled shall not be distributed to members, but shall be given to some other
non-profit-making organisation/s, preferably having similar aims an objectives to MATEFL, and
which shall have a similar prohibition regarding the distribution of property among its members
as in this paragraph.
15. Official status of MATEFL
a) MATEFL is a non-profit-making organisation.
b) In all matters, this statute is to be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the
Republic of Malta.
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