[WATCH] PN leader meets lecturers over new university law

Busuttil meets lecturers over new university law • Video by Ray Attard

PN leader Simon Busuttil today held a consultation meeting with lecturers over the proposed legal notice on the accreditation requirements for universities in Malta.

“Lecturers are concerned that this legal notice could harm their reputation,” Busuttil told journalists after the meeting. “Lowering the standards through which an educational institute can get recognized as a university will harm the reputation of the University of Malta, its students, and its graduates.”

“Lecturers are concerned that this legal notice could harm their reputation,” Busuttil told journalists after the meeting.

The controversial legal notice published earlier this month allows the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE) to invoke “national interest” as a criterion through which it can recognize an educational institute as a university.  

The new amendments also reduce the number of minimum fields from six to four, in which programmes leading to higher diplomas, Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees are offered. They also remove the requirement to have at least four fields in which doctorate programmes are offered.

The law was tweaked three days after the government signed a Head of Agreement with the Jordanian construction firm Sadeen for the latter to construct the private ‘American University of Malta’. The law update will make it unproblematic for the NCFHE to green-light the AUM’s aspirations.

“The education minister will have full discretion in deciding what constitutes the public interest,” Busuttil warned. “Educational institutions should get recognized as universities through legal criteria and not through a minister’s power.”

He hit out at Environment Minister Leo Brincat for “not opening his mouth to protect the environment” and insisted that the Opposition will not accept a compromise that includes the partial siting of the American University at Zonqor Point.

“Muscat tends to start off with an exaggerated idea, changes it and presents it as a reduced package, and expects the people to thank him for it,” Busuttil said.

Meanwhile, MEP and education spokesperson Therese Comodini Cachia questioned whether the government will provide the same level of help towards the University of Malta, MCAST and ITS as it will to the American University.

Referring to the legal notice, she said that institutions will now only need to offer stable research training or stable research and development activities in order to get classified as a university. She said that this change raises questions about whether research will remain a prerequisite for aspiring universities.

Government dismisses Opposition fears

In a reaction, the Ministry for Education denied that the legal notice has granted the minister with the power to overrule the NCFHE.

“It is always the Commission which evaluates any applicant and which would eventually issue the respective licence,” the Ministry said in a statement. “The minister is not in any shape or form empowered to overrule this process.”

They also denied that the legal notice has removed the need for educational institutions to have research activity in order to get a University status, citing a regulation in the Education Act that says that research is one of the “primary activities of higher education institutions”.

“It is clear that the Opposition is not aware of the basic concept of the changes taking place,” the Ministry said. “Research is a priority both for the economic and the education sector, and not only will it keep the current present standards, but it aims to strengthen them. Witness of this is the introduction of Post-Doctoral Research Scholarships launched for the first time a few weeks ago.

“We have repeatedly said that standards and quality will be improved through this legislation, which has the ultimate aim of opening the doors to a wider and more pluralistic tertiary sector.”