Busuttil presents motion to revoke university legal notice

Simon Busuttil motion against Education Legal Notice

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil presented a parliamentary motion, calling on the government to reverse a controversial legal notice that lowers the required criteria for educational institutions to get classified as universities.

"This is nothing less than an attack on Malta's tertiary education and the University of Malta, and it will impact students, graduates and future students alike," Busuttil told journalists after presenting the motion to Speaker Anglu Farrugia.

The controversial legal notice published in May allows the National Commission for Further and Higher Education to invoke "national interest" as a criterion through which it can legally 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 for universities to have at least four fields in which doctorate programmes are offered.

The law was tweaked three days after the government signed a Heads of Agreement with Jordanian construction firm Sadeen Group through for the latter to construct the private 'American University of Malta'. The legal notice will make it unproblematic for the NCFHE to green-light Sadeen's aspirations, and several University lecturers have already voiced their concern that it could damage the UOM's reputation.

Busuttil also warned that UOM graduates could face problems when attempting to further their studies abroad, as foreign universities could question the validity of a graduation certificate issued by a Maltese university.

‘Appeal to civil society to lead Zonqor protest’

The Nationalist Party yesterday organised a protest at Zonqor Point, the proposed site for the AUM that lies outside development zones.

However, Alternattiva Demokratika and Front Harsien ODZ, a movement set up by sociologist Michael Briguglio to oppose the Zonqor development, refused to attend the protest due to its political nature.

Busuttil was asked whether the PN should have supported the Front and taken a back seat in the protest so as to prevent the campaign from becoming a partisan one.

The PN leader re-iterated his appeal to environmental NGOs to lead the anti-development campaign, pledging that the PN will support them in their efforts.

“We invited Michael Briguglio to the protest, but he didn’t turn up because he had other commitments,” Busuttil said. “However, genuine environmentalists, such as Marlene Farrugia, did turn up at the protest.”