Intellectuals are sometimes accused of sitting comfortably in their ivory towers, delving into books and research but contributing little to society. Is this the situation in Malta at present? How can intellectuals make their presence felt in the social, political, cultural, economic and religious spheres?
'The Role of Intellectuals in Maltese Society Today' is the title of a seminar being organised on Tuesday between 6.30 and 8.30 p.m. at Dar Manwel Magri, Msida, by the Jesuits at University group in conjunction with the Philosophy Society. The seminar will be conducted in Maltese.
The panel of speakers includes Fr Louis Caruana, a philosophy lecturer at Heythrop College, London University and Prof. Frank Ventura, a lecturer in the Faculty of Education and MATSEC chairman. Mary Anne Lauri, Pro-rector and lecturer in the Department of Psychology, will chair the discussion. The seminar's aim is to create awareness of the various aspects of intellectuals' involvement in society.
Lecturers, students and other interested parties are invited to attend and participate in the discussion. For more information call 2340 2341 or e-mail: chaplaincy@um.edu.mt.
A multi-disciplinary approach to epilepsy
A one-day conference on the theme 'Epilepsy: A Multidisciplinary Approach' is being organised on February 9 by the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics in conjunction with the Caritas Malta Epilepsy Association (CMEA).
In Malta and Gozo, over 3,000 people have been diagnosed with epilepsy, an often hidden medical condition that requires several varying medical and support services, and that can greatly affect a person's social and personal life.
One of CMEA's main aims is to make better health care facilities available to people with epilepsy, as these are essential for an improved quality of life. Medical services have now reached a new turning point with the new facilities in Mater Dei Hospital and increased emphasis on community care, and this year's national conference will discuss the multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of epilepsy.
This conference is being organised in co-operation with the Epilepsy Society of Malta, the Malta College of Family Doctors the Malta College of Pharmacy Practice and the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses.
During this seminar there will be two keynote speakers: Prof. Martin Brodie, who will talk about matching drugs to patients in epilepsy, and Dr Gary Rogers, who will talk about primary care vis-a-vis epilepsy. Students may get their registration fee reimbursed from their smart card. For further information Dr Janet Mifsud at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics on e-mail: janet.mifsud@um.edu.mt.
Can A-level exam results be predicted?
'Mind the Gap! Can examination results at SEC level predict performance at Matriculation Certificate level? This is the title of a paper that Josette Farrugia and Prof. Frank Ventura will discuss during the third annual lecture of the Journal of Malta Educational Research (JMER), which will be held at the National Curriculum Centre, Hamrun, on February 15, from 6 to 7.30 p.m. JMER editor Carmel Borg will chair the discussion.
The paper presents the predictive validity of results obtained by 16-year-old Maltese students in the May 2004 Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examinations in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computing, English and Maltese for the Advanced level examinations in these subjects taken by the same students two years later.
The study evaluates whether the SEC is a good foundation for the Matriculation level, the likelihood of obtaining a high grade at A-level from particular SEC results, possible gender differentials, and differentials between students who obtained grades 4 and 5 from optional SEC papers.
The results show moderately high predictive validity values ranging from 0.76 to 0.52 and no fixed pattern in the likelihood of obtaining a high A-level grade. The study noted no significant gender differences and no fixed pattern of differences in the Advanced level results of students who had obtained SEC grades 4 and 5 from Paper 2A or 2B.
Theology Students' Association
All students reading Theology at University automatically become members of the Għaqda Studenti tat-Teologija (GHST) a faculty-based autonomous student organisation founded in 1945. The association's aim is to build bridges between students studying theology and the faculty's academic staff. Its current president is Fr Jonathan Farrugia.
The association's most important activity is the annual academic evening in honour of St Thomas Aquinas, patron of the Faculty of Theology. International lecturers are invited as guest speakers to give public lectures on their areas of specialisation, thus helping to maintain the Faculty's high academic level. The evening is held under the patronage of the Archbishop and the University rector.
The association also organises various social activities for students as well as academic evenings and charity campaigns which go beyond the University boundaries. In 2001, it started holding an annual Christmas charity campaign on campus at the beginning of December. This has now become the Theology students' most popular activity. All proceeds go in aid of the Diocesan Commission for Children's Homes.
For more information on the GHST, visit the Website: www.ghstmalta.org or e-mail: ghst@um.edu.mt.