Students ponder future role of University as dispute persists

The deadlock over the financial package of academics has ignited debate among University students on what sort of changes they would like to see in the system.

More motivated lecturers, the re-thinking of their roles, more hands-on experience and a system that looks beyond job-preparation feature high among students' priorities.

Students shared their concerns with Malta Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat who visited the campus yesterday. He said students had strategic concerns and questioned where the University was headed.

It is time to debate the role of the University within Malta's society and the economy, he said.

Speaking to The Times, Michele Tufigno, a law student, stressed that the educational role of the University ought to be given priority.

There is the need to change the lecturers' mentality so that they realise that their role is to educate and not merely impart skills that will land students a job, he said. Achieving a better quality education is not about salaries, it is about changing the culture of the institution, he insisted.

The collective agreement at the centre of the dispute between the University management and the staff representatives aims at increasing the productivity of academics. But while both sides agree with the vision they are miles apart on the financial package.

While academics need an injection of motivation and responsibility, Mr Tufigno added, there were also lecturers who knew their subject and had an infectious passion for it. "Perhaps it is a recruitment problem," he said.

Bernard Galea, also a law student, feels that his lecturers are well informed about their subject but he would like to see an education that is more hands on and not simply based on lectures.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who visited the University after Dr Muscat, highlighted the University's important role in educating the workforce and attracting foreign investment. The University contributes to the country's successes, he said, calling on the student body, KSU, to suggest ideas to entice more students to pursue tertiary education.

Meanwhile, during a debate organised by the KSU on campus, a portion of responsibility was passed on to students.

Chief Justice Emeritus Giuseppe Mifsud Bonnici stressed the role that students play in influencing decisions. Highlighting the scant turnout for the debate, he stressed that there was a lack of culture among students as very few were interested in what was going on around them.