Education Minister disagrees with MCAST decision to have students searched by police on campus
Clifton Grima stated that the environment on campus should be much different that this, stating that he would be, "getting involved in the decision immediately"
14 June 2024, 9:37am
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
1 min read
Education minister Clifton Grima said that he will be intervening in a decision made by MCAST to have uniformed police officers patrolling campuses.
On Thursday, the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST) said that such a measure will reinforce safety and security measures, as it was stated that officers would be allowed to carry out searches on students and their belongings if they have reasonable suspicions.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Grima stated that the environment on campus should be much different than this, stating that he would be, "getting involved in the decision immediately."
Grima distanced himself from the decision as he explained that it was taken on an administrative level, and that it does not enjoy his support on a policy basis. While acknowledging "challenges and incidents" that occur on every campus, he noted that the situation in MCAST does not merit such drastic actions.
Last March, a police report was filed against a student, who allegedly hit a lecturer during a test at MCAST Paola. A few days later, the student then asked the police to investigate abuse from his lecturer, claiming that what was seen in the video was the culmination of a toxic atmosphere nurtured by the lecturer, which stemmed from unnecessary shouting and indecent language directed at the student.
Matthew Farrugia is a staff reporter at MaltaToday
