Innovations and investment at the university were one factor which encouraged industry to stay on in Malta, rather than move elsewhere, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning.

Speaking during a visit to the university, where two new laboratories were inaugurated within the Faculty of Engineering, the Prime Minister also said that the government had to find more resources to accommodate the influx of new students.

The university welcomed 3,561 new students yesterday, bringing the total to 11,341.

The new laboratories are for biomedical engineering and control systems.

Dr Gonzi was shown around the Biomedical Engineering Lab by lecturer Prof. Kenneth Camilleri. The laboratory is equipped with a motion capture system, a thermal imagery system and a pressure measuring system.

Head of Systems and Control Engineering Department Prof. Simon Fabri showed Dr Gonzi around the Control Systems Lab, which is equipped with robots, motion sensors and software related to automation.

Both labs were party funded by European Regional Development Funds.

Dr Gonzi also went round the students' organisations stands put up for Freshers' Weeks. He noted that Malta's university was now providing courses for which previously one had to go abroad. Once Maltese students were given the tools, he said, they flourished.

Rector Juanito Camilleri said that the university was not just churning out graduates but it was also carrying out research for practical purposes such as in the areas of medicine and manufacturing.

The labs were later also visited by Labour leader Joseph Muscat and spokesman Owen Bonnici.

They said that higher education was one of the biggest challenges the country had to face.

The Labour Party was worried about accessibility at university, where some students were not being able to follow the course they wanted.

They expressed satisfaction that a solution had been found for B.Ed and thanked the schools which had cooperated for a solution to be found.

They expressed disappointment that PGCE students had been left hanging and said this was unacceptable. There should be better planning.

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