A newly graduated teacher yesterday stressed that informal activities that help students cultivate human values should be an essential part of tertiary education.
Addressing a University of Malta graduation ceremony for former Bachelor of Education (Hons) students, Joseph Gilson told fellow graduates to be active citizens and encouraged them to pass on the values they had learned to their pupils.
Students, he said, should be proud about their individuality while keeping in their perspective those in need.
Mr Gilson encouraged the Faculty of Education, and the university as a whole, to give students feedback about the quality of their work and their individual progress throughout the academic year. The end-of-semester tests were just the tip of the iceberg and a system where lecturers gave feedback to students regularly about their progress or otherwise was needed.
Christine Camilleri, a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Social Work and Social Administration graduate, said the University of Malta brings together students from all walks of life and this exposed students to different backgrounds and cultures. The institution should pay more attention to accessibility and services for persons with a disability as this would encourage diversity and equality among the university community.
Ms Camilleri called on the university to introduce more post-graduate specialisation courses such as the Masters in social work.
Matthew Castillo, a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) Management graduate, said in his address that graduates are at a disadvantage when applying for a first job as most employers seek recruits with work experience. The excuse that fresh graduates lack experience is often used by prospective employers to offer lower wages.
A solution to the problem was not easy, Mr Castillo said, even if the University of Malta could do its part by helping students engage in apprenticeships and internships with the private and public sectors. There were already a number of schemes in place but these were not available to all students.
With regard to the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy, Mr Castillo said it was unfair that commerce students who chose to study management, public policy or economics at the end of their third year only graduated at the end of their fourth year, unlike accountancy students who graduated both at the end of the third and fourth years.
The following students graduated yesterday (*denotes in absentia):
Diploma in Management Studies
Anthea Abdilla, Luana Agius, Stephen Agius, Marlene Attard, Rhoda Attard, Janice Azzopardi, Lara Barbuto, Carmel Bartolo, Reuben Bonnet, Carmen Borg, Gordon Borg, Konrad Borg Myatt, Anthony C. Briffa Pirata, Vincent Brincat, Marie Claire Bugeja, Carmelina Buhagiar, Audrey Busuttil, Johann Anthony Calamatta, Carmen Callus, Alison Camilleri, Diane Camilleri, Malcolm Caruana, Dorianne Ciantar, Ivan Cilia, Roberta Cilia, Carlo Ciscaldi, Erica D'Agostino, Clifford Debono, Roberto Debrincat, Gabriella Deguara, Anton Falzon, David Falzon, Dennis Falzon, Carmen Farrugia, Clint Farrugia*, Isabelle Farrugia, Josephine Farrugia, Maria Fenech, Gordon Gafa, Alan Gatt, Jeanbert Gatt, Charmaine Grech, James Grech, Maria Rosa Grech, Marvin Grech, Allison Grima, James Grixti, Mark Haber, Margaret Lapira, Jonathan Mallia, Mark Mallia, Janet Mamo, Elizabeth Markham, Edward Micallef, Patricia Micallef, Amanda Mifsud, Arthur Naudi Manche, Brian O'Connor, Paula Pace, Neil Pavia, Daniel Privitera, Mark Edward Psaila, Paula Refalo, Marisa Saliba, Carmen Schembri, Mariella Schembri, Ramon Schembri, Joseph Spiteri, Jurgen Spiteri, Stefan Spiteri, Marco Tabone, Marion Vella, Roderick Vella, Martin Robert Vella Pace, Maria Verin, Paul Wismayer, Thomas Woods, Doris Wright, Nadine Zahra, Rosemary Zahra, Adrian Zammit, Alison Zammit, Catherine Zammit, Sonia Zammit, Steve Zammit.
Bachelor of Arts in Tourism Studies
Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin
Sandro Attard, Dimitar Lilovski, Nandi Song, Sarah Sullivan, Kimberly Vella.
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Tourism Studies
Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin
Francesca Aquilina, Esmeralda Attard, Matthew Azzopardi, Nathalene Brewer, Evicka Busuttil, Andre Cauchi, Lisa Cutugno, Carl Galea, Gertrude Galea Seychell, Rachel Gauci Palmier, Alistair Genovese, Marthese Giordamaina, David Grech, Marcel Mejlaq Vella, Stephen Mifsud Tong, Roberta Claire Muscat, Luan May Saliba, Graziella Vella, Sarah Vella, Andrew Zahra.
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Social Work/Social Administration
Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin
Josann Attard, Jessica Bajada, Marie Claire Balzan, Charlene Bonnici, Fiorella Borg, Rodianne Borg, Donatella Bruno, Charmaine Cachia, Jeanette Cachia, Ingrid Callus, Christine Camilleri, Gabriella Camilleri, David Castillo, Ashley Cumbo, Marialexia Cutajar, Pamela Demicoli, Melchiore Ellul, Tiziana Graziella Farrell, Bernice Farrugia, Mario Farrugia, Kim Galea, Marija Galea, Lyndsey Gatt, Pamela Gili, Janet Grima, Patrick Harvey, Karen Mifsud, Andre' Mizzi, Fabienne Mizzi, Andrea Saliba, Maria Sammut, Sylvia Sammut, Bernard Schembri, Alexia Spiteri, Daniela Spiteri, Justine Tanti, Ingrid Vassallo, Eric Anthony Vella, Josianne Vella, Rhian Kathryn Vella, Stephanie Vella, Kristina Zammit.
Bachelor of Science in Business and Computing
Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin
Stephen Abela, Guiseppina Aquilina, Andrea Borg, Annalise Borg, Daniela Busuttil Dougall, Claude Calleja, Stefania Cappello, Matthew Caruana, Christopher Cassar, Rebekah Cassar, Ruth Cauchi, Joseph Cremona, James Decelis, Diane Falzon, Robert Farrugia, Yue Feng, Ge Gao, Alexander Gavritchkin, Andrew Grech, Junfeng Ma, Fortian Mercieca, Paul Micallef, Alison Mifsud, Keith Alexander Mifsud, Stephen Muscat, Peter Musu, Bernard Paris, Konrad Saliba, Rachel Saliba, Ryan Schembri, Karl Spiteri, Marisa Sultana, Adrian Tabone, Karen Theuma, Ian Wright, Hao Wu*, Stefan Zhelyazkov.
Bachelor of Commerce (Hons)
Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin
Ritianne Abela, Stephanie Abela, Victoria Abela Medici, Sara Ali, Ira Aquilina, Daniela Attard, Jonathan Attard, Maria Pia Attard, Clinton John Azzopardi, Erica Azzopardi, Paul Charles Azzopardi, Sean Azzopardi, Christian Bajada, Karen Baldacchino, Christine Balzan, Erma Barhani, Raymond Bartolo, Clayton Bonnici, Laura Bonnici, Antonella Borg, Beverlene Ann Borg, Ian Borg, Nicholas Borg Cardona, Raphael Brincat*, Avalon-Joelle Busuttil, Bernard Anthony Busuttil, Ruth Buttigieg, Christian Cachia, Svetlana Cachia, Christian Calleja, Gilbert Camilleri, Matthew Camilleri, Stephanie Camilleri, Emanuel Cardona, Erica Caruana, Janice Caruana, Sarah Jane Caruana, Chantelle Cassar, Ian Philip Cassar, Karla Cassar, Matthew Castillo, Jeanelle Marie Catania, Aaron Cilia, Daphne Anne Cilia, Lara Cordina, Emma Jane Cristiano, Mark Curmi, Shakyra Dalli, Benjamin Karl Davies, Christine Debono, Josef Debono, Matthew Dimech, Gevit Duca, Christabelle Ebejer, Dorien Ellis, Bernard Farrugia, Clint Farrugia, Jana Farrugia, Nathalie Farrugia, Ingrid Formosa, Pauline Formosa, Nadia Gafa, Dorianne Galea, Gabriella Galea, Jean-Pierre Galea*, Marica Galea, Stephen Galea, Antoine Galea De Marco, Catherine Gatt, Charmaine Redenta Gauci, Joanna Gauci Maistre, Graziella Gerada, Daniel Gravino, Vanessa Grech, Andre' Grima, Stephen Grima, Keith Huber, Sonila Likaj, Steven Marinelli, Michael Martin, Lorraine Meachen, David Colin Meadley, Gail Mercieca, Alan Micallef, Christine Micallef, Christopher Micallef, Donna Micallef, Ingrid Pauline Micallef, Bernard Muscat, Victoria Muscat, Victoria Muscat, Pooja Nandwani*, Thomas Naudi, Jeanelle Newell, Bryan Pace, Andrei Patap*, Davinia Lynn Pirotta, Michael Pisani, Charles Polidano, Caren Portelli, Davinia Portelli, Deborah Portelli, Caroline Porter, Erika Rossignaud, Joscelin Sacco, Andrew Said, Glorianne Sammut, Louise Sammut, Roberta Sammut, Fiona Sayan, Lisa Marie Schembri, Mark Schembri, Valerie Schembri, Janet Sciberras, Louie Scicluna, Stephanie Scicluna, Bradley Speigner*, Alexandra Spiteri, Christopher Spiteri, Jonathan Spiteri, Lara Spiteri, Manuel Spiteri, Mark Spiteri, Sarah-Jane Spiteri, Marnol Sultana, Kenneth Tabone, Geoffrey Tanti*, Keith Tanti, Audrey Tonna, Karl Tonna, Darcelle Vassallo, Mark Vassallo Cesareo, Etienne Vella, Clive Xuereb.
Bachelor of Education (Hons)
Sponsor: Dr C. Borg
Marisa Abdilla, Allan Abela, Amanda Abela, Victoria Abela, Marvic Agius, Marylene Agius, Oliver-Dione Agius, Sharon Agius, Mark Amato, Cursty Apap, Jezabel Apap, Charlene Aquilina, Charlene Aquilina, Natalie Armeni, Clint Gerald Attard, Dorcelle Attard, Ritianne Attard, Diane Azzopardi, Alexia Baldacchino, Mario Victor Balzan, Ruth Balzan, Vanessa Bartolo, Dana Ben Moussa, Claudia Bezzina, Daniela Bezzina, Ione Thera Bezzina, Alex Bonavia, Marisa Bonello, Mary-Rose Bonello, Alison Borg, Angelo Borg, Charlene Borg, Janie Borg, Jeffrey Borg, Josmar Borg, Marthese Borg, Marica Briffa, Natalie Brincat, Victoria Brincat, Beverley Bugeja, Franco Bugeja, M'Chantelle Bugeja, Michela Bugeja, Sandra Buhagiar, Bertha Busuttil, Jennifer Busuttil, Sabrina Busuttil, Maria Buttigieg, Marisabel Cacciattolo, Marie Claire Cachia, Nathalie Cachia, Marlene Calleja, Andre' Camilleri, Dorianne Camilleri, Elaine Camilleri, Mario Camilleri, Odette Camilleri, Silvana Camilleri, Antoinette Caruana, Cynthia Caruana, Tiziana Casha, Glorianne Cassar, Marija Cassar, Michele Cassar, Elaine Catania, Angela Cauchi, Rodiana Cesare, Lindsey Chetcuti, Nathalie Chetcuti, Reuben Chetcuti, Antonella Coleiro, Dominic Cortis, Catherine Cutajar, Daniela Cutajar, Catherine D'Alfonso, Claire D'Amato, David Darmanin, Davida De Giorgio, Lynette Debattista, Isabelle Debono, Silvio Debono, Veronica Debono, Charlene Desira, Angelique Dibben, Mary Jude Dimech, Estelle Duca, Joanne Ellul Genovese, Anthony Farrugia, Charlene Farrugia, Denise Farrugia, Gloria Marie Farrugia, Ian Farrugia, Fleur-Marie Fenech, Lara Fenech, Monique Fenech, Elaine Formosa, Berthlyne Galea, Edith Galea, Graziella Galea, Ritianne Galea, Lisa Galea Naudi, Anna Gatt, Anne Marie Gatt, Diane Gatt, Kevin Gatt, Joseph Charles Gilson, Sharon Giordamaina, Erika Grasso, Claudine Grech, Elaine Grech, Jonathan Grech, Charmaine Grima, Stephania Grima, Stephanie Grixti, Mark Anthony Lughermo, Jennifer-Connie Magri, Caroline Mallia, Paulette Mallia, Amanda Mangion, Charisse Mangion, Jonathan Mc Bee, Kirby Mejlak, Claire Meli, Jane Ann Mercieca, Rodianne Mercieca, Alexander Micallef, Audrey Micallef, Emanuel Micallef, Josephine Micallef, Michelle Micallef, Sue Anne Micallef, Angela Mifsud, Josef Mifsud, Bernardette Mizzi, Gracelene Mizzi, Lynne Frances Moffett, Deborah Muscat, Elaine Muscat, Janice Maree Muscat, Mathilde Muscat, Sharon Muscat, Stephanie Muscat, Romina Obidimalor Munro, Rachel Pace, Pasquale Papa*, Rosemary Ann Piccinino, Ritienne Plum, Eric Portelli, Mark Psaila*, Sharona Refalo, Elizabeth Saliba, Marilyn Saliba, Melanie Saliba, Eldrin Sammut, Iamon Sammut, Sandra Sammut, Annette Simiana, Judith Spiteri, Louis Spiteri, Marion Spiteri, Oliver Spiteri, Philippa Spiteri, Tiziana Spiteri, Claire-Marie Tabone, Alison Vassallo, Marlene Vassallo, Graziella Vella, Oliver Vella, Steven Vella, Keely Ann Xuereb, Brian Zammit, Maria Dolores Zammit, Marica Zammit, Stefan Zammit, Sarah Zammit Marmarà.