A group of 38 mostly foreign university students graduated Master of Arts in Human Rights and Democratisation in a ceremony at the Aula Magna of the Old University in Valletta yesterday evening, the first batch of 2,000 University of Malta students graduating this year.
In a message during a special Mass in the morning at St John's Co-cathedral, Archbishop Joseph Mercieca told students they were graduating not only for their own sakes, but also for society, which would expect something of them.
Mgr Mercieca said students should be grateful to the university for helping them to become more useful to society.
He encouraged them to improve on what they had learnt, to be able to respond to society's needs.
The students who graduated yesterday evening came from nine southern Mediterranean countries, namely Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, Israel, Cyprus, Palestine and Malta. Another came from Belgium.
The 10 graduands from Malta were Isabelle Azzopardi, Carmel Busuttil, Frank Cassar, Daniela Debono, Albert Ghigo, Stephanie J. Muscat, Carol Peralta, Louise Anne Pulis, Karen Vella and Mary Grace Vella.
The other graduands were Rony Abu Saad from Palestine; Olgun Akbulut from Turkey - in absentia; Ahmed Al Azzeh from Palestine; Sabri Al Zboon from Jordan; Amin Al Zeer from Palestine; Aziza Amarouch from Morocco; Lara Arabian from Lebanon; Noura Belkhodja from Tunisia; Yael Canetti from Israel; Karen Castryck from Belgium; Anita Christophides from Cyprus; Ihab El Amine from Lebanon.
Tamara El Batarseh from Palestine; Haydar B. Gemalmaz from Turkey; Ilan Goldberg from Israel; Yianna Hadjihanna from Cyprus; Hagop Kouyoumdjian from Lebanon; El Alia Mansouri from Morocco - in absentia; Maria Matsoukari from Cyprus; Hatice Senem Ozyavuz from Turkey; Soumia Raji from Morocco; Rawija Safouri from Israel; Anne Marie Sarouphim from Lebanon; David Shoshani from Israel; Cihangir Tekcan from Turkey - in absentia; Efie Vourkidou from Cyprus; Sharon Weill from Israel; and Mahmoud Zeidan from Lebanon.
The University of Malta, through the Faculty of Laws and the Foundation for International Studies, coordinates the Masters programme on behalf of a network of 16 universities and human rights institutions, several of which were represented at the graduation ceremony.
The programme is one of six regional programmes supported by the European Commission.
Yesterday also saw the official inauguration of the third course in the Mediterranean Masters. Forty-five students are enrolled in this year's programme.
The European Commission is making a contribution of €785,000 towards the course budget of €980,000.