Plan to improve higher education standards

The government plans to set up a new structure - a National Commission for Higher Education (NCHE) - with the aim of overseeing that educational institutions conform to specific academic standards.

This was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on Monday during the budget speech. A document, entitled National Commission for Higher Education, was presented in Parliament for public consultation.

Claude Sciberras, communications coordinator within the Education Ministry, said the ministry was in the process of reviewing the whole education system - from early childhood to higher education and lifelong learning, where higher education refers to higher secondary and tertiary level education of a general or vocational type, including entities like the University of Malta, the Junior College, higher, private and Church sixth forms, MCAST, ITS and other private universities.

"The review of the higher education sector is one of the first to commence. Apart from the revision of the maintenance grant scheme and the immediate increases in the funding for the institutions, which were announced on Monday, the ministry is proposing the setting up of a National Commission for Higher Education, supported by a Secretariat for Higher Education (SfHE), which will ensure that excellence in the sector is provided and maintained," Mr Sciberras said.

"The Commission will coordinate synergies between students, institutions, the government and the world of work to offer high quality education that is equitable, responsive to today's needs, is innovative and flexible, while still being cost-effective and sustainable. It is no longer a time for institutions to work independently but network together within a framework that gives clear direction for development."

Under the new set-up, the national commission would be responsible to oversee the creation, development and maintenance by the SfHE of an operational environment in which the licensed institutions conform to specific standards and are subjected to systems of appraisal and accreditation to facilitate the progression and mobility of students across institutions, to enhance their employability. The commission will be under the direction of and answerable to the Education Minister.

The policy paper was based on the recommendations of the Chalmers Report, which made general recommendations based on a process of wide consultation with all parties involved directly or indirectly within the sector. It was also based on the feedback received following the publication of the Chalmers Report and the advice of Juanito Camilleri, Jacques Sciberras, who was also a member of the Chalmers working group, Micheline Sciberras, policy coordinator within the ministry, Paul Attard, adviser, and Fr Peter Serracino Inglott.

The NCHE will research, advise, appraise, report and recommend to the government on five general dimensions of the higher education sector: vision and strategic oversight; expansion of higher education to meet emerging and future requirements; funding and accountability; quality assurance and accreditation; and student choice and fair access.

It is also planned that the commission would be complemented by an international panel of advisers and supported by the secretariat, which will act as a broker between the government and the respective institutions.

The National Commission will ensure the setting up of a number of principal systems of appraisal managed by three groups - the Strategy Support Group, the Quality Assurance Group and the Financing Modelling Group.

The document states: "In spite of the very substantial progress registered during the last 18 years, Malta is still in need to improve the number of students following post-secondary, vocational and tertiary education, to reach European and OECD levels".

It states that target groups, teaching modes, entry and exit points, mix of disciplines and competencies in curricula need renewal. Higher education institutions should be responsible and accountable for their programmes, staff and resources, while public authorities should focus on the strategic orientation of the system as a whole.

"A review of the existing post-secondary and higher education institutions needs to be carried out in order to evaluate the range, content and duration of the programmes being offered; to identify gaps, redundancies and duplication; to assess the cost effectiveness of the programmes; and to establish better co-ordination and collaboration between departments, faculties and institutions.

"The institutions themselves need to review and appraise their programmes; the performance of their academic staff; the quality of their graduates; their facilities, services and resources. Funding must be directed at programmes and their outputs, establishing the true cost of producing those outputs. Programmes with specific aims and deliverables rather than structures should be funded," the document states.

Mr Sciberras said that during this month, the Education Ministry will be consulting with stakeholders. In fact, comments, suggestions and criticism may be sent to the ministry by post or by e-mail.

"Following this period of dialogue the government will appoint the chairmen, members of the commission and the designate director-general to lay the foundations for the new strategy and set in motion the process of putting in place the proposed secretariat for higher education."