The future of the University of Malta over the next five years was discussed by student organisations based on campus at a conference entitled ‘Think 2020’ organised by Maltese Christian Democrat Students (SDM) at Microsoft Innovation Centre at Skyparks, Luqa.

SDM president Luke Muscat said the concept behind ‘Think 2020’ was to lay down the foundations for the vision many students and SDM would like to see for the University over the next five years.

Guest speaker pro-rector Joe Friggieri said the University’s future was heavily dependent on thoughts. He said the University’s vision must be seen in relation to what it is foreseen that society will be like.

He said the University administration is currently undertaking a series of projects costing about €40 million, including a new lecture block. He said that to reach the standards of foreign universities, the University’s progress must not only be linear but also qualitative, and this required a “huge injection of funds”.

He added that it is estimated that the number of students at the University will increase by 7,000 students in the coming years, 2,000 of which will be international students. However, lack of space at the University was not necessarily down to the fact that there was an excessive number of students, he pointed out, but also due to the large number of courses being offered, with almost as many students undertaking evening courses as day courses on campus.

Quoting Karl Marx, who once said: “Hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic”, Friggieri said while students should be encouraged to be experts in their respective fields, they should also show interest in other areas of society and get involved in debates.

This was followed by a discussion and five workshops entitled ‘Think active’, dealing with student activism, ‘Think leisure’, dealing with sport, art and culture, ‘Think environment’, dealing with transport and sustainability, ‘Think opportunities’, dealing with international opportunities and internships, and ‘Think education’, which dealt with educational issues and research.

A report with the information gathered during the workshops will be issued by the SDM in due course.