Students helped to follow veterinarian courses abroad
Bursaries have been presented to 10 students who will be following veterinary courses abroad.
Resources Minister George Pullicino handed out the bursaries of €10,000 each, saying that Malta has a shortage of veterinarians, despite their important role under EU law in matters of animal health and food safety.
He said the government's long-term objective is to see such courses held in Malta. The University of Malta is exploring ways how at least part of the courses can be held here.
The students will study in Slovakia, the UK, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
They will be offered job opportunities with the government when they return.
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22 Comments
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Chris Farrugia
Jan 6th, 15:36
Well done Mr. Pullicino.
Thomas Pace
Jan 6th, 14:55
Good luck for the students and well done for the Ministry for investing in the education of these students who one day will also give a service to the Ministry.
Sarah Said
Jan 6th, 14:15
So the government is still offering students stipends when studying abroad, it now provided students with 10,000 euro and it doesn't stop here.... Students will be given the opportunity to work with the government when they finish their studies. Can you complain? Well done MinisterPullicino for this initiative.
C Busuttil
Jan 5th, 14:28
Veterinary surgeons in Malta have been, in the past, trained mostly in the UK and Italy. May I ask at this stage what happened to the Italo-Maltese protocol and whether there was any possibility to have our students train in Italy to avail of such aid?
If we look back in the 1990's when Malta had a lack of such professionals to assist at the abbattoir in Marsa, this protocol had supplied our country with Italian vets who carried out the services of farm ispections and also slaughter line supervision amongst other responsibilities.
JUANITA BUSUTTIL
Jan 5th, 10:35
Mr. Zammits comment of helping students who would like to be an astronaut put a smile on my face as that was the same example the Minister of Finance gave some parents when we went to ask him for some form of financial help. We had also presented the Minister with this report http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090720/local/gozitan-students-in-malta-receive-802-000-in-assistance.265900 and asked if it was possible for the same/similar kind of help to be given to us once there was no course available in our Country and the students had to travel abroad. The answer was no from several Ministers including our Prime Minister stating that they had other priorities as to were the funds had to be spent. Now Resources Minister George Pullicino hands over a €10,000 bursaries because of a shortage of vet in Malta is shameful when he is well aware to the full extent of the vet course cost.
Mr Zammit people have every right to complain because they like you are also paying their taxes to fund students attending the University of Malta for free as well as other things. Vets will earn like any doctor, lawyer, teacher and any other students who graduate from the university of Malta and good luck to them because they have studied hard to be able to earn a living.
@ Paul Camilleri at least your undergraduate course is held for free in your own country. There is no comparison with the 2. I can assure you that if the Vet course was held in Malta all these students would have preferred to study in their own country living at home with their family, going home and finding everything done for them and driving themselves to University like most students do.
Also like Ms Farrugia said it is not just the course, living expenses and the flights that parents have to pay for its also finding a work placement for training during the summer months. These work placements at times have to be done abroad which also causes more financial pressure onto the families so yes €10,000 is way too little help.
Antoine Vella
Jan 5th, 09:01
The report says that, on their return, the vets will be OFFERED a job, not that they will be forced to work for government. Students who are already in government service will continue to receive their salary during the course and only these will be bound to continue working in a government department for a few years.
Courses in veterinary medicine are almost as expensive as those in human medicine (all vets are surgeons) but of course the number of students expected to attend would be much less. This means that, for the university, the cost per student would be so high as to make it almost prohibitive. It's not a project that can undertake lightly.
At any rate, it's not a bad thing for a young person to go and live abroad for a few years
Franco Farrugia
Jan 5th, 08:01
Congratulations to the Government for the scholarships given out in the field of veterinary science. This is a great step in improving animal-care in Malta and in Gozo. I have absolutely no doubt that this finds the approval of all those who have four-legged animals' plight to heart.
Ms.D. Galea
Jan 5th, 01:00
I have heard the SAME excuses and promises re the Vet course and the feasibility or otherwise of holding courses in Malta for these last FORTY years or so.
Charles Bugeja
Jan 4th, 19:47
Why a vet course is not held in Malta - I think there are very proficient vets in this country who can teach at university
Ramon Casha
Jan 5th, 07:30
Just because someone is proficient does not make that person a good teacher - no matter the subject.
Corey Farrugia
Jan 4th, 18:46
I agree with Mandy. I also wish to study veterinary medicine and having taken a BSc. Chem & Bio course to serve as a stepping stone and be eligible for the 2 in 1 year, still doesn't make my things look any brighter. I also applied for this scheme only to be greatly disappointed. It would be nice if the government will at least lend money to the people wishing to study veterinary medicine instead of leaving the most willful and determined students such as myself without any opportunity to take a good vet course such as the one in Hungary. With governmental help a new generation of recently trained truly dedicated vets that are very fresh and passionate towards their job can be possible to emerge from our middle class of our population.
Mandy Spiteri
Jan 4th, 20:36
I pity you Corey, I really do! I have done plenty of research on this matter, but with a mere € 10,000 (if granted), there is no way a middle class family can afford to fund their child for this course with the wages and cost of living in Malta. I wish you well and hope you reach your goal!
JUANITA BUSUTTIL
Jan 5th, 09:50
Mr. Zammits comment of helping students who would like to be an astronaut put a smile on my face as that was the same example the Minister of Finance gave some parents when we went to ask him for some form of financial help. We had also presented the Minister with this report http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090720/local/gozitan-students-in-malta-receive-802-000-in-assistance.265900 and asked if it was possible for the same/similar kind of help to be given to us once there was no course available in our Country and the students had to travel abroad. The answer was no from several Ministers including our Prime Minister stating that they had other priorities as to were the funds had to be spent. Now Resources Minister George Pullicino hands over a €10,000 bursaries because of a shortage of vet in Malta is shameful when he is well aware to the full extent of the vet course cost.
Mr Zammit people have every right to complain because they like you are also paying their taxes to fund students attending the University of Malta for free as well as other things. Vets will earn like any doctor, lawyer, teacher and any other students who graduate from the university of Malta and good luck to them because they have studied hard to be able to earn a living.
@ Paul Camilleri at least your undergraduate course is held for free in your own country. There is no comparison with the 2. I can assure you that if the Vet course was held in Malta all these students would have preferred to study in their own country living at home with their family, going home and finding everything done for them and driving themselves to University like most students do.
Also like Ms Farrugia said it is not just the course, living expenses and the flights that parents have to pay for its also finding a work placement for training during the summer months. These work placements at times have to be done abroad which also causes more financial pressure onto the families so yes €10,000 is way too little help.
Andreas Moser
Jan 4th, 17:36
Good for the students that these courses cannot be held in Malta: they get to see the world.
C Sant
Jan 4th, 21:24
@Juanita Busuttil
If that is so, once the training has ended, the government would be in a very weak position to keep the employee under his employment - basically the employee can leave whenever he/she wishes and it is up to Government to sue and prove his case - so if it is (and I believe I am right ) against EU regulations then the case can even be brought up to the European Court.
Mandy Spiteri
Jan 4th, 17:15
I priced up the cost of this course in Hungary for the September 2011 intake, it came to over € 61,000 for the 5.5 year course, not including text books, lodgings, living and flights to and fro.
So am I right in saying that the government granted only € 10,000 towards this course for students, will give them a job when returning and no doubt bound them to a contract for a few years? Does the rest have to be forked out by the student/parents?
So if you want to be a doctor, you can stay in the comfort of your own country and get the full course paid for by the government, but if you want to be a vet and have to go abroad because your country doesn't offer the course, you have to pay your own way?
Correct me if I'm wrong but I'd call that discrimination at it's best!!
M. Zammit
Jan 4th, 18:26
Are you by any chance one of those people who want everything to be paid by Government and then complain about the taxes? Why don't you say that at least part of their expenses are being covered by government? Have you any idea of how much vets earn, once qualified? Do you remember the times when in Malta even the Arts courses weren't held? And if I decide to become an astronaut (a course which is not available in Malta) should I ask the Government to fork out all the expenses? Get a life
Paul Camilleri
Jan 4th, 18:36
Ms Spiter, kindly note that for a one year Masters Degree course in Law, (not a 5.5 year course) held abroad (London), estimated to cost over 25,000 Euros, successful student applicants were only awarded a maximum of 8,500 Euros by way of grant through government. The rest had to be forked out by the student/ parents or financed through a bank loan. On successful completion of the course, they are not offered a job by government
C Sant
Jan 4th, 19:35
You are wrong - these bursaries are not tied up with employment - that cannot happen under EU law except if any of these students are already employed by government and this would be equivalent to a in job training.
Corey Farrugia
Jan 4th, 19:46
No Mr Zammit it is not the same first of all no one needs an astronaut in malta. Second of all the complaint is not about wanting all the expenses to be forked out but to at least help the families that have members that wish to take that course. If I remember well some few months ago I ended up with a sick ferret and no vet in Malta knowing anything about them ending up dishing out loads of money to maybe cure him of this misterious disease. This proved to be miserably unsuccessful. I am sure on the other hand that if we have more vets that may specialise in different things there will be a drastically better animal welfare system that we currently have.
As to the master degree mr camilleri mentioned I think that 25000 on a span of 1 year will prove to be much cheaper then 61 000 on a span of 5.5 years where you have no means of income and where you spend the summers practicing with local veterinarians instead of working to lessen the financial pressure on your family (not mentioning that in the meantime the loan you have taken is accumulating). No it really isn't even comparable.
JUANITA BUSUTTIL
Jan 4th, 20:03
@ C Sant I was under the same impression that unless already a government employee bursaries are not tied up with having to work for the government. However, in this case these students had no option by to sign an agreement with the Government for 5 years after they qualify. If they did not want to sign up they were informed that the scholarship would be passed on to the next student. EU regulations it seems are not the same for everyone.
Mandy Spiteri
Jan 4th, 20:54
@ M. Zammit
No I am not a person who expects the government to pay everything, far from it! However I see it unfair that because one chooses a career in veterinary medicine one has to foot the bill for most of the course because it's not available on the island, when other medicine students stay in the comfort of their own home and have everything paid for by the government, and yes from my taxes too!
Do you have any idea how much a Doctor gets paid in Malta once qualified or is that ok?
And your comments about becoming an astronaut are pathetic and far fetched because it's not a career in demand on the island, so I suggest you should get a life!
And just for the record, I have paid all my due taxes throughout my working life. Thank you