Minister urges creation of new sources of finance

Education Minister Louis Galea yesterday met heads of post-secondary and tertiary institutions to discuss the report on the funding of higher education.

The Chalmers report, unveiled last Saturday, indicated the way forward in the financing of post-secondary and tertiary institutions.

Dr Galea said it was clear that there was need for development to strengthen the post-secondary and tertiary education sector, with changes taking place in structure, management and accountability.

The report, he noted, pointed to the need for institutions to start exploring new areas through which they could attract funds. He said institutions should seek to use their resources to create new sources of finance.

The government was prepared to continue increasing investment in the education sector but it wanted to ensure that funds were being spent in the most effective and transparent manner to provide the highest quality of education. It was not possible to have good participation within the institutions if the necessary resources were not available. If the number of students at an institution and the resources available to that institution were not balanced, the quality would suffer.

"It is not enough to increase the quality of students if we do not guarantee a quality service," he said.

The minister stressed the importance of competition. The only way Europe could compete was to ensure that its population was well-educated.

A series of meetings between Dr Galea and other stakeholders in post-secondary and tertiary education are in the pipeline. In the coming days the minister will meet the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji and other student organisations. He will also have a meeting with the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development.

The first phase of consultation will revolve around the revision of existing financing systems for the university, the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology and post secondary institutions.