Students' organisations from both sides of the political fence this afternoon voiced their opposition to the charging of fees, as suggested by University Rector Juanito Camilleri in the document 2020 Vision or Optical Illusion?

The Christian Democratic Students (SDM) insisted that education should remain free and students should be helped financially through the current stipend system.

"For SDM, free education and the maintenance grant are non-negotiable. Free education and stipends are an issue of solidarity and government investment in human resources. Any reforms and changes have to keep this important consideration."

SDM said it recognised the importance of reforms and the need for the education systems to be open to the changes taking place in the economy. It also agreed that the University should continue to become a modern Third Generation university based on teaching, corporate research and a key player in a sustainable socio-economic development of the country and the region.

The group insisted that the planning of such reforms should involve student representatives and organisations since students were the main stakeholders of the education system.

Another students' group, Pulse, also expressed its concern about Prof Camilleri's comments.

"Pulse is concerned that if the University of Malta had to implement such a fees system it would have social repercussions and would discourage a number of students from pursuing and furthering their studies," the group said.

"Such a statement contrasts, and is ironic, especially in light of the fact that at the moment the government's strategy is to promote education and increase the number of graduates. Our education system encourages our students to further their studies and thus provides the country with a steady stream of university educated graduates that are available for our economy and that are very important to attract investment."

Pule said the university should provide high quality education to all those willing to further their studies, free of charge.

"Moreover it is important to note that to date the UoM trust fund is still at its inception stages and is still not implemented. Furthermore the funds allocated towards such Fund were reduced by half. This implies that UoM and the government do not believe in this Fund and its benefits for students," the group complained.

"The University is not a profit making organization whose main aim is to attract foreign students. The university’s main aim should be to encourage students to further their studies and provide the country with a number of graduates: one of the few and most important resources for our country."

See Rector's comments at

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20101207/local/fees