Final year university students to get exam results
The Malta Union of Teachers and the University of Malta Academic Staff Association said this afternoon they will be partially lifting their industrial action at the university so that final year undergraduate students can be given their exam results.
The unions earlier today attended a conciliation meeting with the University and Government negotiation team, in the presence of the Director of Industrial Relations and Employment.
"The unions declared that as a sign of goodwill, they would be lifting partially the directive on the submission of the academic year results, where final year undergraduate students were concerned, irrespective of the outcome of the meeting."
The unions are in dispute with the government over a new collective agreement.
They said they attended the meeting today fully expecting to be presented with the long overdue counter-proposals from the University.
"Unfortunately, the University has continued to withhold its proposals from the academic staff representatives, and no further progress could be registered during the meeting.
"Notwithstanding the negative outcome of the meeting, UMASA and MUT have decided to lift the union directives in connection with the publication of the results of final year undergraduate students. The unions however advise the academic staff to be on the alert for further advice and/or instructions."
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Stephen Abela
Jun 25th 2008, 11:12
Dear Mr Farrugia, If you have spent some years at university, the least you should have learned is not to generalize when judging people. I have been an academic for a number of years now and categorically affirm that have always treated the students and any other person at university or otherwise with respect. Also I can confirm that most of the times the My student act correspondingly. So please if you some complanis about the actions or lack of actions, of some individual in particular please post your grievances to the University administration. In so doing you would be doing a favour to yourselves and to the hard working Academics, who are sick and tiered of be insulted by ALL parties involved.
Franco Farrugia
Jun 25th 2008, 05:21
@ M Casha - How much respect are students usually shown by those who work at Tal-Qroqq? That is the question to ask, not the other way round. At the end of the day, the students are the clients of the professors and lecturers there. As far as I can see (and I am not a Uni student any longer) uni lecturers generally treated their students like .....!
William John Gatt
Jun 25th 2008, 00:35
@ P. Debono
This depends on whether you intend to go for an honours in any major.
Like you I am a third year student reading for the B.Com degree...but we don't quite see eye to eye.
First of all..I don't think 3 years deserves the phrase "all these years". Besides being one of the shortest, which other course leading to a degree accepts students sometimes not even having a pass in intermediate pure maths, requires no submission of a dissertation, and coupled with a spoonfeeding frenzy?
Secondly if you are happy to have 'performed' your 'duty', I am not, as I don't consider furthering my education as a 'duty'. No one's pointing a gun to my head. I'm studying because I see the potential for growth and advancement. Perhaps you are linking
your 'duty' to study (the mentality prevailing at Secondary level education and lower) with the 'reward' you receive from the government? I have long ago shot myself in the foot by saying that stipends wreak havoc in the educational process rather than improve it (I too get it)...and this one just reinforces my view.
On the results...I would obviously want these out as soon as possible!
Matthew Borg
Jun 25th 2008, 00:00
@ M. Bugeja
Chill mate, I was just pointing it out. ;)
Maria Gauci
Jun 24th 2008, 22:50
Mark-Anthony Vassallo: Well done! More lectures should follow your example. Are you implying students do not make valid comments?
Mario Vassallo: Can you please check about my results for a couple of study-units since it seems mine are amongst the few (based on what you said) that have not been issued!!
M Casha: Of course the only thing on the students' mind is to get "certificates/degrees". What do you expect me to have on my mind after 5 years of NOT being paid a stipend, paying for my education (as an evening student) and sitting for my exams? By the way...you call that easy...pull the other one!!
M. Bugeja
Jun 24th 2008, 22:41
@ Matthew Borg - i meant no disrespect in any shape nor form in my statement. I fully agree on better conditions for our lecturers. They deserve no less, I appreciate the hard work they have all done. I was just disappointed at the way in which the action was taken, particularly since last year students had the most to lose. Futures were at stake.
I strongly urge the government and the university to do their utmost to address the grievances of the lecturers and those concerned, rather than pay lip service to the problem.
Jane Buttigieg
Jun 24th 2008, 22:17
So grace has been granted to final year students. But what about the others, especially the unlucky ones (and there will be hundreds of them, our educational system makes sure of that) who wont get a passing grade in some of their exams, and have to resit in September. Will they have time enough to study for their re-sits??????? Does the KSU represent these students or only those of the final year. Did MUT and UMASA take them into cosideration, because rest assured, no one else will.
C.Catania
Jun 24th 2008, 22:16
Thank You! i really hoped that we final uni students wil get our results, cause if the strike or whatever it is, prolonged, our degree would have suffereed in case of a resit! But still i hoe that this situation will be solevd. Its not fair that we students have to suffer if the unions haven't reached an agreement with the Government!
Joanne Vella
Jun 24th 2008, 21:25
Congratulations to the final year students and I understand that their need for results is more urgent. But the rest of us need the results too... so much for promoting equality.
I cannot help but think that this is a tactic by UMASA and MUT to decrease the power of the student’s voice. They noticed we were getting agitated and decided to satisfy the group, they felt were most dangerous and inclined to take action, the final year students, who had the most to lose from results not being published. In short they employed the old tactic of Divide and Conquer.
Though, I am still unsatisfied because lecturers, staff and unions seem to still not have learnt the important lesson to stop using students as a tool to voice their displeasure. They have a right to complain, do not get me wrong and they deserve good working conditions. But I was hoping that after this they would have decided to use other means to voice their displeasure in the future. Until they learn this, I fear that lectures and students uniting as one to stand up for each other’s rights, is not something we will see in the near future.
Mark-Anthony Falzon
Jun 24th 2008, 20:39
No, Mario Vassallo is definitely not a student, which is why he's in such a strong position to make valid comments. I for one am totally agreed with him.
I have just resigned from UMASA, and all my students, final years and otherwise, will be getting their results tomorrow.
Matthew Borg
Jun 24th 2008, 20:28
@ M. Bugeja
Mario Vassallo is a sociologist and a Professor at the UoM, hence his reasoning.
Manuel Borg
Jun 24th 2008, 19:49
Great news for final year students...but what about the others? Why get students involved in this issue? If unions need to take action so be it, but for goodness sake, not at the expense of students. Looks very much like a kind of bullying to me.
P. Debono
Jun 24th 2008, 19:46
I am a Third Year B.Com student and I should be graduating this November. Does this mean I am a final year student? Most students like me have job offers lined up for this summer, but we can only start working after we receive our results as stipulated in our contracts. So we study for all these years and still end up unemployed for potentially a whole summer.
So what is KSU's stance regarding this modified directive? Why the silence? We've heard precious little from the student body that is supposed to be defending our rights.
Also, could MUT and UMASA be a little clearer about the directive? You could have elaborated a bit more on what constitutes a "final year student."
And finally, why cause an industrial dispute in the middle of our final examinations, when we're stressed out enough as it is, and when apparently you had over 5 years to negotiate?! We performed our duty as students by studying hard and so you should do your own duty as lecturers and hand out our results.
Jennifer Cosaitis
Jun 24th 2008, 19:44
Mr Vassallo I beg to differ in relation to your stating that most results of study units have been published. I don't know anyone who has received any exam results. Mr Vassallo I assume that you do not have any relatives attending university as in that case you would realise that students do not deserve this kind of treatment. We have a right to our exam results.
M Casha
Jun 24th 2008, 19:09
Now that the Unions have shown respect to the students - lets see if our students will show how mature and respectful they are. Lets see the students rally behind their lecturers and support them in their quest for a better University and working conditions. Unless of course the only concern on our students minds is to obtain a certificate/degree easily and get a stipend to go.
M. Bugeja
Jun 24th 2008, 18:54
Mr. Vassallo, it would appear that you are not a final year uni student. Try to understand how we feel as well. We need those results to further our studies abroad and to find jobs. It was the humane thing to do for final year students who have been through so much.
C Fenech
Jun 24th 2008, 18:41
You state that most results for study-units have already been published...is it so...strange that none of my friends (coming from different faculties) have had a result published. This is not MUT/UMASA giving in...publishing final year students is extremely important to them...remember they are only giving out results to only those who have finished their studies and would thus require their results to get on with their lives.
Mario Vassallo
Jun 24th 2008, 18:17
What a weak union UMASA and MUT are in respect of University staff! Five years of dilly-dallying and now they give in. Most results for study-units have already been published. So what is left? A wonderful summer of course, and more discontent among the staff who have been taken for yet another ride by their own unions!
C Fenech
Jun 24th 2008, 17:54
Great news to hear. Being a final year student, publication of my results determines whether I could further my studies abroad, since they require results for a conditional offer to be accepted. Hope that "further advice and/or instructions." from the Union would not mean going back on this statement. In that case UoM please publish my results soon!