Labour will not just keep stipends, it will work to strengthen them, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat said this morning.

“This is a promise without compromises,” he said.

Speaking during a visit to the University on the occasion of Freshers' Week, Dr Muscat said economic growth was the key to everything.

Through economic growth and wealth creation, the university would be given more resources for further investment in Maltese and Gozitan students, he said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi also visited Freshers’ Week and met students and University staff.

He was also shown around the Department of Chemistry, where new laboratories have been inaugurated in a project costing over €800,000.

The new labs were equipped thanks to funds provided by the EU. They have enabled the university to raise its intake in science subjects and diversity the courses on offer.