Six out of 10 university students are women

The University of Malta welcomed more than 4,500 new students this morning at the start of the academic year.

Of these, 3,216 will follow an undergraduate course, while 1,356 students will read for a postgraduate degree.

According to figures released today, the university’s population now stands at 11,860, of which 60% are female students.

There are 7,080 female students as opposed to 4,780 males. The population also includes 979 international students from 113 countries.

The Junior College also opened its doors to 818 new students, bringing the student population up to 1,727.

Students found campuses buzzing with activity as various student organisations put up stands, encouraging the new recruits to join their ranks. 

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat toured the Junior College and the University of Malta campuses, where he chatted with students and posed for selfies.

University Rector Alfred Vella

But the festive atmosphere was somewhat tempered by the stiff words of caution on Malta’s environmental degradation by university Rector Alfred Vella.

Speaking to a mixed audience of academics, students and Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, the rector highlighted the importance of living sustainably.

Vella pointed out that Malta had the lowest renewable electricity generation in the EU. “Only 6% of our energy needs were derived from renewable sources in 2016,” he said, asking whether Malta will be able to reach the 10% target by 2020.

Vella noted how countries like Austria generateed 73% of their energy from renewable sources, followed by Sweden at 64% and Demark at 54%.

“Do our fellow citizens realise that water continues to flow from their taps on demand only because energy expensive technology forces salt out of seawater but in the process, adds harmful carbon dioxide in the air and depletes the national bank account?” 

Vella said Malta was also the country most cluttered with buildings in the EU. “Clearly, the quality of life of its citizens is affected negatively by the fact that it is almost impossible to take a break from the built environment while you remain on the islands,” he said.

Academics and students were back on campus for the start of a new academic year

He continued to list other ills such as the poor rate of waste recycling but the rector insisted that each of these grave environmental challenges were less serious than “the general apathy that seems to grip our collective mind to prevent us from taking seriously our commitment towards environmental sustainability”.

He said education at every level was “superficial and possibly dysfunctional” in properly teaching students to recognise and respond to the serious challenges involved in ensuring a sustainable future.

He then urged lecturers and learners to use education and research, which he described as the most powerful tools, to promote the cause of sustainability.

“May we all join efforts to make this happen for our children and theirs,” Vella said.