If university aspired to excel in engineering, science and technology, it had to invest considerably in research and innovation programmes, according to Ian Buhagiar, an engineering student.
The lack of practical instruction in university courses was strengthening the idea that university was simply churning out academics, he said during yesterday's graduation ceremony at the university's Sir Temi Zammit Hall.
Mr Buhagiar insisted that students were skilled in theory but equipped with little practical experience. He appealed for a balanced compromise between the two in the structure of university courses.
Despite the investment, a considerable number of laboratories were not properly equipped to fulfil required functions. It was not infrequent that students were taught on long-obsolete equipment and machinery, adding that overcrowding of students compounded the problem as there was a limit to how much new equipment could be shared.
The lack of professionals in IT, Mr Buhagiar said, was being "felt considerably," and with the demand for graduates in informatics growing, there was a need for quality assurance officers who could ensure independently that lecturers and curriculums were of the necessary quality.
Meanwhile, Matthew Sultana, an education student, echoed the need for increased university funding, pointing out that it was "unfortunate" that many young teachers were encountering new and technologically advanced teaching aids, such as interactive whiteboards and sophisticated teaching software, only when they reached the workplace.
He hoped that students enrolled in the education course were taught how to make use of such teaching tools as part of their education.
Mr Sultana also said that while it was beneficial that former students were invited to deliver lectures on their teaching experiences, it was another kettle of fish if former students delivered a series of lectures based on research which anyone could have carried out.
Mr Sultana also made suggestions on how the course could be restructured. Emphasising that sports and games were important, he said that one course and 16 hours of observation in the education course's third year were enough and did not call for another course and 20 interviews on the same subject in fourth year.
Mr Sultana expressed the hope that students' feedback could lead to improvement and development of the university for the sake of students yet to come. There was still a lot to do with regards to technological efficiency, internet facilities and the use of the internet with regards to assignments and even on-line lecturing.
The following is a list of students who graduated yesterday.
Postgraduate Certificate in Education
James Abdilla, Lorraine Abela, Annabelle Agius, Maria Rita Agius, Christine Attard, Eman Baldacchino, Fernando Benito Saico, Rosabelle Bianchi, Alan Borg, Deborah Miriam Borg, Martha Borg, Rita Borg Bonaci, Deborah Briffa, Josianne Bugeja, Serena Buhagiar, Emmanuel Buttigieg, Abigail Camilleri, Charlene Camilleri, David Camilleri, Marouska Caruana, Helmut Cassar, Sarah Cauchi, Joseph Cefai, Elaine Chetcuti, Elaine Chetcuti Glanville, Joseph Chircop, Angelica Ciantar, Crystielle Cortis, Eunice Dimech, Juana Dimech, Mandy-Jo Ebejer, Sabrina Ellul, Joanne Falzon, Sharlie Falzon, Stephanie Falzon*, Annalisa Farrugia, Irene Farrugia, Philipa Farrugia Randon, Diane Ferrante, Manuel Gafà, Angel Galdes, Lorraine Galea, Lisa Gatt, Jesmond Gauci, Charlene Genovese, Madeline George, Katya Glanville Vella, Albert Grech, Edmond Grech, Karin Grech, Tancred Grech, Jeanette Grima, Susanne Clare Grima, William Incorvaja, Amanda Johnson, Stephanie Jones, Marouska Lia, Maria Magri, Jeffrey Mallia, Elaine Manicaro, Christian R. Mcclean, Josephine Lynne Mercieca, Kenneth Micallef*, Sharon Micallef, Rachelle Mifsud, Marthese Mizzi, Edward Montebello, Elona Mule Stagno, Alessandra Muscat, Doreen Muscat, Felicia Muscat, Jonathan Pace, Thomas Pace, Noemi Portelli, Tamara Psaila, Graziella Pullicino, Francesca Ramunno, Antoinette Refalo, Emanuel Said, Mary Joyce Said, Michelle Said, Melisent Marie Saliba, Michael Sammut, Patrick Schembri, Ritianne Schembri, Rita Antida Scicluna, Lara Spiteri, Annalise Sultana, Brian Sultana, Melanie Sultana, Alison Tanti, Brian Tanti, Joseph Tanti, Melissa Theuma, Christine Zammit and Joseph Zammit.
Bachelor of Education (Hons)
Sponsor: Dr Valerie Sollars
Marika Attard, Maureen Attard, Roderick Attard, Andreas Azzopardi, Maria Azzopardi, Matthew Azzopardi, Rachel Azzopardi, Sara Ann Baldacchino, Joe Bezzina, Ann Marie Bonnici, Diane Bonnici, Dorianne Bonnici, Emanuel Bonnici, Annalise Borg, Glorianne Borg, Joanne Borg, Stephanie Borg, Jonathan Borg Castillo, Anne Marie Briffa, Christian Brincat, Christine Bugeja, Marlene Bugeja, Angele Buhagiar, Ann Marie Buhagiar, Jamy Buhagiar, Janice Buhagiar, Amanda Busuttil, Rebekah Busuttil, Laura Cachia, Stephanie Calleja, Christian Callus, Daniela Camilleri, Rachel Camilleri, Amy Caruana, Charlene Caruana, Romina Caruana, Caroline Cassar, Esmeralda Cassar (robing), Louise Cassar, Sacha Yves Cassar, Antoinette Catania, Marilyn Cauchi, Irene Cilia, Nicola Conti, Joseph Cordina, Svetlana Cucciardi, James De Giorgio, David Debono, Gloria-Anne Degiorgio, Maria Demicoli, Donalise Dimech, James Drakard, Olivia Farrugia, Christopher Fava, David Fenech, Michelle Formosa, Odette Fsadni, Alice Gaffiero, Bernice Galea, Joanna Galea, Johann Galea, Johanna Galea, Charmaine Gauci, Randee Ann Gauci, Tania Georgette Gauci, Clive Gerada, Riann Maria Gladwish, Nadia Amelia Gosney, Andre Grech, Anthony Grech, Antonella Grech, Cathia Grech, Georgianne Grech, Joanne Grech, Ryan Grech, Daniela Griscti, Niki Lanzon, Lara Libreri, Stephania Magri, Claudia Magrin, Audrie Anne Mallia, Joanna Mallia, David Mamo, Angie Mangion, Ludwig Micallef, Maria Micallef, Rachel Micallef, Rowena Micallef, Abigail Mifsud, Karl Michael Mifsud, Richelle Marie Muscat, Lydia Pace, Maria Pace, Stephanie Pavia, Mandy Pisani, Elena Portelli, Ritianne Sacco, Kristen Said, Christine Schembri, Mark Sciberras, Stephanie Sciberras, Stephanie Scicluna, Romina Spagnol, Dorianne Spiteri, Justin Spiteri, Matthew Sultana, Dennis Tabone, Sarah Tabone, Miriam Theuma, David Vassallo, Angela Vella, Annabelle Vella, Marvin Gary Vella, Rodianne Vella, Suzanne Vella, Miriam Xerri, Charlene Zahra, Laura Zahra, Katinka Zahra Lehtonen, Charlene Zammit, Isabel Zammit and Marija Massabielle Zammit.
Diploma in Information Technology
Stefan Bartolo, Miriam Bonanno, Darren Borg, Stephen Calleja, Clayton Mifsud, Khaled Sleiman, Mattheus Yeomans, Karl Josef Zammit, Angelo Zerafa and Carmel Zerafa.
BSc (Hons) In Information Technology
Sponsor: Dr Ernest A. Cachia
Martha Axiak, Emmanuel Bonavia, Bryan Borg, Steve Borg, Andre Bugeja, Stephanie Buhagiar, Jennifer Busuttil, Mark Busuttil, Andrew Buttigieg, Glanmor Cachia, Claire Camenzuli, Carl Camilleri, Elvio James Caruana, Stephen Caruana, Benjamin Cassar, Jonathan Cassar, Mark Anthony Cassar, Abigail Cauchi, Brian E. Cauchi, Claudio Cauchi, Kristina Cauchi, Claire Cordina, Philip Curmi, Daniel Cuschieri, Ruth Cutajar, Andrea De Marco, Alex Farrugia, Jennifer Fenech, Julien Fenech, Karl Fenech (robing), Thomas Frendo, Matthew Karl Galea, Julian Gambin, Joseph Grima, Alessio Magro, Joanna Mercieca, Alexandra Micallef, Luana Micallef, Marco Montebello, David Phyall, Goran Prokic, Matthew Saliba, Victor John Saliba, Lindsay Sant, Antoine Sciberras, Denise Spiteri, Savio Neville Spiteri, Matthew Xuereb, Ryan Zammit and Mark Zarb.
BSc in Information Technology
Sponsor: Dr Ernest A. Cachia
Mark Scicluna and Jurgen Steinbacker.
Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
Sponsor: Prof. Robert Ghirlando
Roderick Gerald Abela, Maria Agius, Rudi Agius*, Stephen Victor Attard, René Axisa, Neville Azzopardi, Warren Azzopardi, Mark Bezzina, Rodney Bonello, Nicholas Paul Borg, David Borg Bartolo*, Alberta Bugeja, Michael Bugeja, Peter Paul Bugeja, Simon Bugeja, Ian Buhagiar, Franco Busuttil*, Alastair Camilleri*, Jan Camilleri, David Jerzy Cassar, Gilbert Cassar*, Davide Catania*, Marlon Chircop, Noel Ciantar, Kristian Cini, Gilbert Costa, Stefania Cristina, Joseph Cuschieri, Christopher Cutajar, Stephen Dalli, Clifford De Raffaele, Tristan Debono, Jason Debrincat, Terence Delia, Evan Joe Dimech, Brian Ellul, Maria Kathleen Ellul, Tyron John Ellul, Yanicka Fava, Mariella Fenech, Amanda Galea, Damien Gatt, Gareth Malcolm Gilson, Clinton Grech, Jurgen Grech, Nadia Grech, Charlon Grima, Christine Grima, James Grima, John Licari, Anthony Magro*, Ian Mamo Portelli, Daniel Micallef (robing), Maria Rita Muscat, Janice Rapa, Mark Anthony Sammut, Christian Spiteri, Ian Spiteri, Monica Sultana, Renee` Maree Sultana, Joseph Swain, Clayton Tabone, David Oscar Vella, Donna Maria Vella, Di Wu, Duncan Zammit, Glenn Zammit and Johnny Zerafa.
Bachelor of Science (Hons)
Sponsor: Prof. Charles V. Sammut
Bernice Abdilla, Lourdes Abdilla, Christabel Abela, Charlene Apap, Elizabeth Aquilina (robing), Joanne Attard, Shari-Marja Azzopardi, George Bonanno, Danielle Grace Calenti, Joseph Calleja, Marco A. Calleja, Danika Camilleri, Mario Noel Camilleri, Rosalie Camilleri, Marianne Cassar, Alexander Cassola, Gustaf Karl Cauchi, Lara Chircop, Ruth Chircop Beck, Rachel Cremona, Kristian D'amato, Denise De Gaetano*, Ingrid Dimech, Luke Farrugia*, Stephanie Farrugia, Ann Fenech, Cecilia Fenech, Teresa Fiorini, Nicholas Flores Martin, Monique Frendo, Anthony Galea, George Galea*, Ariana Gatt, Victoria Gatt, Alison Jennifer Gauci, Marco Karl Grech, Edward Herrera, Lin Li, Maria Magro, Liana Maria Mercieca, Maria Micallef, Clinton Mario Mifsud, Thomas Paris, Joanna Rizzo, Mark George Schembri, Nicholas Schembri, Maria-Liza Scicluna, Christian Spiteri*, Nadia Tagliaferro, Amy Talbot, Marilyn Tanti, Lara Zammit and Petra Paula Zammit.
Bachelor of Science
Sponsor: Prof. Charles V. Sammut
Clayton John Axiak, Louis Mario Azzopardi, Jurgen Borg, Christian Falzon and Matthew Sciortino.
Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Chemistry
Bernard Glanville.
* in absentia