Students’ council demands government ‘come clean’ on new university

The University Students’ Council (KSU) has demanded that the government come clean on the details surrounding the setting up of a private university in the south of Malta.

“The government should provide the general public with details regarding the entity and the academic body behind the running of this university, the involvement (or otherwise) of DePaul University and other questions which are yet to arise,” KSU said in a statement. “This especially in light of recent local media reports which have claimed that DePaul University will only be providing advice on the curriculum and would not be opening a Maltese branch or be in any way involved in the running of the campus.

“Such a claim raises a number of questions as to what kind of University is being set up and whether the Government is rushing with this project when it may have concluded an agreement with a more prestigious foreign University.”

Earlier this week, the government signed an agreement with the Jordanian Sadeen Group for the construction of a private university that will be named ‘The American University of Malta’.

KSU said that the University of Malta has not yet-reached the level of a third-generation University and warned that introducing a second university could “lead to a situation where two average universities are present, denying Malta the chance of ever catching up with the rest of Europe and the world.”

“The government must ensure that the quality offered at each institution is of a high standard,” KSU said.

They warned that the new university could offer better wages to lecturers, subsequently “poaching” them from the University of Malta.

They also expressed their concern that the government hadn’t consulted stakeholders, including themselves and the University of Malta, before agreeing to the project, and their disappointment that “no adequate study” has been carried out on how the new University could affect the operations of the University of Malta.

“The similarity of the name “American University of Malta” might also itself create confusion with foreign students who might be led to believe that this new University is an extension of the current University of Malta, when in fact no such connection exists,” KSU said.

They cited an article by the Malta Independent that quoted an unnamed government source as saying that stipends will be given to students attending the new university. KSU warned that it is illegal to give stipends to foreign international students, and that doing so to students attending the new university will be discriminatory against international students enrolled at the University of Malta and not receiving a stipend.

“It would certainly see a shift of international students choosing the ‘American University of Malta’ over the ‘University of Malta’ and this to the serious detriment of the University of Malta’s financial revenues, and thus its autonomy and independence,” KSU said.

“This would undoubtedly have an extremely negative impact on the University of Malta, which is already struggling to shore up the necessary funding to support its strategic plans for growth and investment. Government should, first and foremost, continue investing within the University of Malta. 

“We demand more information regarding this situation, to ensure that it will not affect students who are pursuing their tertiary studies within the University of Malta.”