The article (December 4) reporting my graduation speech a day earlier tore two items out of context (one of which was not accurately reported), leaving the reader with a very mistaken impression. I certainly did not say there was any “parrot-like method of teaching still used by certain lecturers”. That totally misrepresents what I said since I referred to the learning and not the teaching. The reporter did not even get my name right! I think I have been done an injustice. Worse still, as a result, the University of Malta has been done an injustice.

My speech gave an overview of the last four years from the perspective of a science student. The overview reported the four years’ academic experience to have been a very good one with a few negative elements.

However, because I considered that I was in duty bound to represent the students graduating with me, I could not omit those few negative elements. One of these was the lack of resources in the labs. The matter has been improved since my cohort completed the course, an important fact which I also added but which the reporter omitted. My reference to lecturing was overall very positive indeed but also included the exception which, admittedly, was a painful experience for many students. Nevertheless, one cannot report the exception without including the general picture. In fact, I would say that my reference to lecturers was one where they measured up extremely well not only as far as reasonable expectations of lecturers go but, in fact, I also reported how many of them went well out of their way in order to support us students.

Other aspects of the four years were very positively considered. Among these was the experiences resulting from the Degree Plus. Is it too much to expect a reporter to give at least a summative statement that records the general as well as the exceptions stated?

The final part of the speech made this very clear. I considered that the lecturing staff had given us the tools of research and opened up several doors to the academic world. Surely, this should have been the kind of summary to do justice to my speech.