The news that the American University of Malta will have a campus in Cospicua hit the headlines to mixed reactions. Namely, there were those who viewed it with a heavy dose of scepticism and those who truly believe in the potential of this project.
The area has been ignored and put on the backburner for far too long. The previous government had realised that the area held potential, and the present administration is moving full steam ahead to deliver and help Cottonera achieve that potential.
This project has been received with much scorn by those who view Cospicua as a hot spot of criminality where low-life convene. These people hold that the city is not and has never been associated with learning, and thus not suited for a university. This is absolutely wrong on two counts.
First of all, an area, no matter how much it is depressed, should never be discounted from the potential of regeneration on account of its unsuitability or whether it has been used in a similar way before. The regeneration of the docks in Liverpool and the warehouses in Hamburg are prime examples of successful initiatives.
Secondly, historically the Three Cities, and Cospicua in particular, were in fact the seat of many a learning institution.
The site occupied by Dock No. 1 was for years the workplace of the finest crop of Maltese skilled workers, who had received their training at the Dockyard School, or as it was later called, the Dockyard Technical College.
This fine institution was highlighted by the Royal Commission of 1836 as one of only two higher education institutions, the other being the University of Malta. This college was housed at the Dockyards in Cospicua for over 100 years and was for a time also situated in Senglea.
At the time, entrance to the Dockyard School was only possible following a very tough examination for which thousands of young men sat but only a few hundreds were chosen.
The foremost institution which prepared these youngsters for the examination was De La Salle College, run by the Christian Brothers. The college, which is now found on the way to Notre Dame Gate, opened originally just a few hundred metres away from the Dockyard in Strada Buongiorno, today Matty Grima Street.
Historically the Three Cities, and Cospicua in particular, were in fact the seat of many a learning institution
Just up the road from the college’s present location lies one of Malta’s most venerable educational institutions, St Edward’s College, which enjoys a glowing international reputation. Close by, the Verdala International School was born and operated until it moved to St Andrew’s in the 1980s.
One should not forget to mention the education provided by ecclesiastical institutions in the area. Just across the creek where the American University of Malta will have its Cospicua campus, with its two colleges, lies the Monastery of the Order of Discalced Carmelites which served for more than 150 years as an international college for Discalced Friars intent on going to the Missions. Today it serves as the order’s Novitiate.
Right across the Xgħajra ta’ Bormla, within the walls of Vittoriosa, one can find the Convent of the Order of Preachers, or Dominicans, which has also served as the order’s General Study (or university).
Thanks to the AUM Cospicua Campus, the regeneration of the Inner Harbour Area has been bolstered with a great asset. The AUM will be pitched as an international university with entry of local students expected to be minimal. Bologna has been the site of the oldest university in the world since 1088 but I doubt whether all Bolognesi are university-trained and whether those who are attended that institution.
The cascading and multiplier effects of living in a university town are enormous. The boost to the local economy of Cospicua will be enormous. As a simple example, one may remember how many Bormliżi used to rent out lodgings to British servicemen before 1979, which led to a bustling business of sub-letting.
One can only imagine the variety of commercial establishments which will be needed to cater for the student population once the AUM will be up and running.
Thus, I view this project with renewed optimism in the knowledge that the people of the Three Cities stand to gain from the AUM Cospicua Campus, as they have already done thanks to the regeneration of the waterfront along Dockyard Creek, the restoration of St Angelo and the €11.5 million restoration of the area’s bastions.
Stefan Buontempo is the Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government and an MP representing the Second Electoral District.