Let’s strengthen the University of Malta to secure the future of students, academics and researchers: University of Malta cannot be placed at par with AUM

The University of Malta is a reputable institution, on which depends the future of thousands of students. Let’s keep it that way and strengthen it. In this regard I appeal to the Government to respect the University’s autonomy when reforming legislation concerning the University. The University should also participate in European scoreboards taking into account autonomy to be in a better position to self-assess its autonomy. MEP Francis Zammit Dimech made these remarks when meeting the European University Association (EUA) of which the University of Malta is a member. 

Zammit Dimech said that various stakeholders including academics had expressed concern on the lack of certainty on what roles the two new boards being proposed will have, how these will interact with existing structures and the impact these may have on the academic aspect.  He said that if the intention is to make the administration more efficient this is welcome however the right balance between autonomy and accountability had to be embraced. 

Referring to the American University of Malta, Zammit Dimech said that he and the Nationalist Party were certainly not against the development of the tertiary education in Malta. He recalled how Nationalist administrations had incentivised and opened the sector to attract to Malta centres of excellence, and even offer a genuinely wider choice in the tertiary sector. This was in particular done through setting up again from scratch MCAST as well as through attracting to Malta foreign Institutes and Universities to be present in Malta and offer tuition in our country, including to students from Malta.

It appears, however, to be rather different with the so called American University of Malta where from ‘results’ achieved so far it appears to be more akin to  a speculative venture to build in ODZ pristine land that should not never have been taken away from the people to be given away to a foreign investor. Zammit Dimech said that he was not surprised that several academics were frustrated by the comments made by the Prime Minister that placed at par both the University of Malta and the American University of Malta as it was insulting to compare a university with over 11 thousand students with a “university” that managed to attract only a handful of students. Furthermore, it is certainly inopportune to compare a university engaging and retaining respected staff with a University that fired its staff, some of whom are now in legal dispute with the same university. Equally it was inappropriate to compare a university which upholds environmental values with a university that wants to develop part of its campus in ODZ territory, very obviously for speculative reasons.

Zammit Dimech who is a member of the Culture and Education Committee at the European Parliament also discussed the modernisation of Higher Education and the contribution higher education can make to tackle wider societal challenges and the link between higher education and economic issues. Zammit Dimech moreover spoke about Erasmus+ and the opportunities it provides not only to students and other young people but also to academic staff. He added that Institutions and academics, like students, were still facing challenges in the programme which need to be overcome.

Watch Francis Zammit Dimech's message here.