Mcast students were yesterday urged to shoulder responsibility and take better care of equipment and premises after they expressed concern over lack of resources and maintenance.

The students listed their grievances during a discussion at the main campus of the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology in Paola.

Inadequate recreational space and financial issues also made it to the list of complaints submitted by representatives of the 6,500 students who frequent the six institutes within the college.

Among others, sports students complained about lack of desks and training facilities while beauty care students raised concern over lack of maintenance at the salons, mentioning a particular “embarrassing” incident where part of the soffit fell in the presence of clients.

Mechanical engineering students said they had to wait for about four weeks to be able to use new equipment, such as a lathe, because there were only four such machines to cater for 16 students.

Others proposed discounted prices for students and better management of classes that required use of limited equipment.

Mcast CEO Stephen Cachia and the president of the board of governors, Silvio De Bono, welcomed the feedback, urging students to draw the attention of officials when such shortcomings emerge throughout the whole year and not wait for meetings such as yesterday’s.

Mr Cachia pointed out that Mcast was developed by utilising old structures and new blocks were built because the college was always running out of space as the number of students continued to grow.

He asked students to keep in mind Mcast’s limited budget and the fact that it was continuously purchasing new equipment and refurbishing facilities and, yet, it was never enough.

He also urged the students to “look in the mirror” and assume responsibility for cleanliness and maintenance.

Dr Debono also called on students to do their part while committing himself to consider their complaints. Students should continue giving feedback and understand that managing the available budget was no easy task.

“It pains me to know there might be students who cannot keep up with the expenses of the course they chose. I will be looking into this,” he assured them.