It was the rector and not the government who decided to close the university during the Commonwealth summit, the organising task force said.

Phyllis Muscat, who heads the CHOGM task force, told the Times of Malta the decision was made by Juanito Camilleri “out of prudence and in the interest of safety and good order” following a request for one of the campus car parks to be closed.

The University of Malta campus, along with the junior college, will close its doors to lecturers and students between November 27 and 29, when Commonwealth leaders will be meeting in Malta.

The university’s autonomy was respected at all times

The decision has been met with scathing criticism by academic staff members, who described the move as “an assault on the institution’s autonomy”.

Lecturers contacted by this newspaper said closing the university’s doors on the government’s whim went against the principles the campus stood for. “The government should not have the ability to close the university at will,” one lecturer said.

Ms Muscat, however, said the government did not tell Prof. Camilleri to close the campus but merely asked for a section to be closed off for security reasons.