I welcome the environmental aspect to the American University of Malta debate. Yet at this point I will have to say something about the educational aspect to it, because as I see it, there is a possibility that this project might have a negative impact on the development of higher education in this country. To begin with, I must make myself clear that the Opposition is in no way against further investment in higher education, nor is it against private investment, as the past has witnessed.
The problem with the American University of Malta project is that the true motives behind these dealings allegedly stink of corruption. It seems that the project is more about land speculation, than it is about education. If this is the case, then the government is exploiting the importance of education, rather than investing in what is the common good of Maltese society. The true motive should be that of bringing new levels of proficiency in different areas of study, which would be beneficial to the social, cultural and economic health of our country. This has nothing to do with building a university for foreign students in the South of Malta. Such a development will not educate future generations.
To define the Zonqor project as one of national or educational interest is wrong and dishonest, as it seems that there is very little going on from an educational point of view. Firstly, could this Sadeem Group, known for building hotels be competent at delivering the high standards required for a university? This is questionable, as was the original failed attempt by the government to portray AUM as run by DePaul University of Chicago.
To justify his position Joseph Muscat spoke of monopolies in tertiary education, meaning that the University of Malta is a monopoly which should end. This is not the case. So much so, Minister Evarist Bartolo, way back in 2010 defined monopoly at the University of Malta as ‘dead and buried’. Furthermore, the Chairman of the National Commission for Further and Higher Education declared that ‘there are currently 99 Further and Higher Education institutions in Malta’, of which ’14 are publicly funded by the government and 81 are private locally-funded institutions’.
These were all possible thanks to the way that the previous government created the right environment for this to happen, by promoting excellence, unlike this government that brought down standards to accommodate this new so-called investment, irrespective of what was said by the NCHFE. Only last week, the MUT raised its concerns over the proposed Legal Notice 150 that coincidentally was published during the same time of signing the Heads of Agreement. The Opposition has also presented a motion against this Legal Notice in parliament. Moreover one should also take into account that the University of Malta does not work in isolation that it is networked with other universities abroad, a point made by several academics.
Yet it was not just the University that profited from the PN administrations’ efforts in the field of tertiary education. The success behind MCAST is certainly an example of pluralism in the sector. The presence of other campuses and institutions that confer accredited degrees has been looked on benignly by all authorities concerned, whilst online courses conferring degrees by established Universities as well as studying overseas has been encouraged for many years. The truth is that the only monopoly on tertiary education in Malta lies somewhere in the imagination of the current occupier of Castile.
Furthermore, going by what has been said about the need to uplift the South and how critics of their ‘University’ are in reality envious Northerners, one gets the impression that we are in pre-Civil War United States. One might even imagine a voice shouting in deep Southern drawl ‘Save your Confederate Money Boys, the South will rise again’. On a more serious note, proper questions should be asked as on how this project will benefit the area under discussion.
Will the money used for land acquisition go to further develop the south? Will there be jobs reserved for people living in this area? Besides, Marsascala does not come across as a severely depressed area. It is rather middle class with people sharing a standard of living not that much different from the rest of Malta. Rather one gets the impression that this North South option is more of an excuse to sell a product that has a rather dubious quality to say the least.
I sincerely think that this government is going round in circles when it comes to education. I’d rather see more investment in the University of Malta which would lead to more foreign students enrolling here, as it is imperative that the UOM remains as sustainable as possible. After all, in education, it is our future generations that matters, and that is the University of Malta.
