Students graduating from the University tend to be skilled in theory but lacking practical experience, a graduating accountancy student said yesterday.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony held at Sir Temi Zammit Hall, Marilyn Grima urged all faculties to encourage practical experience and educational foreign trips and to promote interaction between companies and students as part of the accountancy course.
The Maltese educational system, she added, is loaded with exams which focus on dates and figures, making it difficult for students to put into practice what they studied throughout their course. She hoped that it would not only be the University that addresses this problem but the whole educational system.
Patrick Debattista, a student of the Faculty of Economy, Management and Accountancy, who graduated yesterday, said the "enormous" faculties like FEMA needed more funding.
Universities today focus on technological access and IT facilities can often boast one computer for every two students but the FEMA faculty, he estimated, had about 15 for some 2,000 students. Because of this, he said, academics are unable to deliver lecturers aided by computers.
He pointed out the progress that the University had made in recent years, citing as an example the electronic online exam results system. Thanks to this system, efficiency, accessibility and transparency were ensured.
The following is a list of students who graduated yesterday:
Bachelor of Commerce (Hons)
Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci
Banking and Finance
Kurt Agius, Bogomil Atanasov, Daniel Attard, Edward Attard, Glen Attard, Petra Axisa, Charlene Baldacchino, Nicholas Bianco, Luke Calleja, Daniela Camilleri, Karen Camilleri, Lindsey Camilleri, John Mark Caruana, Sarah Casolani, Andrew Cassar, Andy Halley Cassar, Noel Cassar, Daniel Colabufo, Christelle Curmi, Andre` Darmanin, Jonathan Charles Debono, Jonas Delicata, Ksenia Efimova, Chantelle Falzon, Lara Falzon, Johnny Farrugia, Josianne Farrugia, Timothy Farrugia, Nathan Fenech, Nigel Galea, Stephanie Galea, Andrew Gauci, Dorianne Grech, Joeanne Grech, Jonathan Grech, Rachel Kim Grima, Edward Hili, Maria Kourdalanova, Christopher Mallia, Luisa Mangion, Nathan Mercieca, Lydon Micallef, Maria Mifsud, Diandra Muscat, Charlene Musu, Jonathan Sammut, Andrew Schembri and Michael Tabone.
Economics
Sarah Attard, Christine Bondin, Ramon Bondin, Sarah Bonnici, Erika Borg, Brian Joseph Camilleri, Elaine Camilleri, Marice Camilleri, Joanna Caruana, Stephanie Marie Cutajar, Maria Debono, Maria Falzon, Oliver Farrugia, Glenn Fenech, Clinton Domenic Flores, David Lanzon, Danica Mallia, Maria Meilak, Claire Muscat, Andre' Psaila, Charlene Sammut, Mandy Schembri, Saviour Schembri, Joanne Spiteri, Jonathan Spiteri (robing), Lisa Maria Vella and Carmelo Zahra.
Management
Jessica Marie Attard, Stacy Attard, Charlene Azzopardi, Alexandra Bondi Cefai, Karl Bondin, Jessica Borg, Margaret Buttigieg, Christa Maria Calleja, Claire Camilleri, Aaron Caruana, Judith Caruana, Anne Marie Cilia, David Collins, Paula De Maria, Rebecca Debono, Julian Demarco, Charlene Ellul, Antoine Facciol, Amanda Formosa, Colin Frendo, Mark Grech, Robert Grech, Jacqueline Mallia, Francine Mercieca, Giorgina Elaine Mercieca, Donna Mifsud, Elaine Marie Mizzi, Karen Mizzi, Eric Padovani, Stefania Sant, Erica Spiteri Sacco, Ilona Marie Tagliaferro, Elaine Vella, Ludwig Vella, Matthew Vella and Christabel Zerafa.
Public Policy
Keith Abela, Reuben Abela, Krystle Bugeja, Maria Camilleri, Mark Camilleri, Christian Enriquez, Christopher Grech, Daniel Grima, Jean Pierre Pirotta, Julian Rausi and Blodwen Spiteri.
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Social Policy
Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci
Tiziana Abela, Antonella Agius, Stephanie Borg Bonaci, Jessica Maria Busuttil, Lara Camilleri, Henry Cipriott, Stephanie Dimech, Sharon Farrugia, Warren Fenech, Diane Galea, Emma Grech, Nadia Grech, Maria Mallia, Natalino Mallia, Anne Marie Pisani, Lorraine Pleven, Dorianne Rotin, Alexia Sammut, Enida Sqapi, Carlos Tabone and Rebecca Vassallo (robing.)
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Social Work
Sponsor: Dr Saviour Gauci
Mary Claire Abdilla, Joanna Abela, Graziella Agius, Marisa Agius, Maria Theresa Aquilina, Nadine Aquilina, Deborah Attard, Dorianne Attard, Yana Azzopardi, Colette Berman, Christopher Bezzina, Christianne Bonello, Sara Briffa, James Buhagiar, Jacqueline Camilleri, Jessica Camilleri, Kathleen Camilleri, Charmaine Caruana, Claire Casingena, Zvetlana Cassar, Amanda Maree Cini, Clare Cini, Chantelle Darmanin, Charlene Lara Debattista, Charlene Falzon, Thomas Galea, Raina Gatt*, Luana Gauci, Gwyneth Grech, Steven Mark Libreri, Ruth Maniscalco, Maureen Muscat, Alishia Saliba, Daniel Schembri, Katia Schembri, Sonia Jane Schembri, Pierre Gean Scicluna, Daniel Spiteri, Amanda Vella, Mandy Vella, Philip Vella, Rachel Zammit and Mariella Zerafa.
Postgraduate Diploma In Business Adminstration
Ahwaz Baker.
Bachelor of Arts (Hons)
Sponsor: Prof. Dominic Fenech
Anthropology
Wilma Plaehn, Jeffrey Romano, Rachel Scicluna, Caroline Tonna, Marie Claire Tonna, Elizabeth Tratnik, Jana Tsoneva, Nighat John Urpani and Jeannine Vassallo.
Arabic
John Gerald Attard (robing), Meinrad Edward Calleja, Alexandra Camilleri, Sarah Camilleri, Alexander Dalli, Maria Dolores Farrugia and Carol Zammit.
Archaeology
Jeremy Azzopardi, Veronica Barbara, Luisana Deborah D'Amato, Frank Galea, Iona Muscat, Krista Paris, Katja Zahra and Abigail Zammit.
English
Ruth Aquilina, Victor Bonanno, Massimo Bongiovanni, Lydia Debono, Michelle Ellul-Micallef, Elaine Falzon, Pauline Fenech, Miriam Gauci, Maria Grech, Davinia Hamilton, Carlo Lamanna Chapelle, Charis Mallia, Vanessa Lauren Psaila, Teodor Reljic, Charlene Schembri, Katryna Storace and Marilyn Sultana.
French
Charlene Attard, Manrico Bugeja, Jennifer De Barro, Reuben Degiorgio, Elaine Falzon, Annabelle Micallef and Rodianne Spiteri.
Geography
James Axiaq, Deborah Bonnici, Kurt Borg, Christopher Camilleri, Steven James Camilleri, Clinton Cassar, Rebecca Anne Cassar, James Cuschieri, Ann Marie Cutajar, Stephanie Delia, Charmaine Farrugia, Andrew Formosa, Francesca Gaspar, Malcolm Grech, Marie Claire Jones, Eman Mangion, Abigail Marsh, Olivia Marie Meilak, Maria Cristina Mifsud, Ylenia Peresso, Alicia Maree Said, Saviour Said, Darren Saliba, Graziella Saliba, Fedelio Schembri, Mark Sultana, Matthew Xuereb and Ann Marie Zammit.
History
Gerald Agius, Daniel Azzopardi, Amanda Bonnici, Miranda Pia Cauchi, Christiana Farrugia, Mark Eman Mangani, Karl Mintoff, Sandra Portelli, Alison Scicluna, Marion Victoria Seychell and Ivan Vassallo.
History of Art
Carmen Abela, Matthew Attard, Maxine Claire Attard, Sarah Mary Borg, Matthew Francis Cassar, Manuel Darmanin, Ann Dingli, Krystle Farrugia, Michelle Marie Galea, Robert Galea and Sara Pace.
International Relations
Matthew Bugeja, Jean Claude Cachia, Gabriel George Camenzuli, Andrew Caruana Galizia, Chen Chen, Corey Formosa, Shaun Peter Grech, Jing Zhao Liu, Anna Marie Meli, Stephanie Micallef, Michaela Muscat, Bruno Parsons, Charlton Refalo, Samuel Scicluna, Rozalina Sokolova and Yuliya Stasiv.
Italian
Albert Agius, Ryan Agius Dunlop, Catherine Aquilina, Marco Audino, Marilyn Azzopardi, Christine Bajada, Therese Borg, Annabelle Callus, Madeline Camilleri Debbie Lora Dimech, Theana Ellul, Marie Claire Gatt, Sarah Gauci, Karen Mamo, Josianne Micallef, Petra Navarro, Simon Pace, Andrea Sciriha and Elaine Tabone.
Linguistics
Isabel Zammit.
Maltese
Mark Paul Amaira, Rodienne Bartolo, Marilyn Borg, Olivia Borg, Maria Cachia, Rashida Cassar, Denise Cauchi, Maria Desira, Dwayne Ellul, Sarah Gauci, Denise Kenely, Phyllisienne Mallia, Francesca Mangion, Martina Micallef, Nevisse Adriana Micallef, Carmen Mifsud, Nicholette Saliba, Edward Schembri, Justin Schembri, Colette Seychell Janika Spiteri, Loraine Spiteri, Oriana Marie Vella and Rodianne Vella.
Music Studies
Abigail Brown, Yuri Charyguine*, Simon Farrugia and Christine Marie Gauci.
Near Eastern Studies
Dayna Farrugia*.
Philosophy
John Paul Azzopardi, Leanne Borg, Michelle T. Borg, Gianella Bugeja, Mark Leonard Farrugia, Bernice Frendo, Lesley Ann Lewis, Ruth Mamo, Daniela Mifsud, Manuel Vella and Annemarie Vincenti.
Social Studies
Mary Grace Attard.
Sociology
Maureen Cassar, Marilyn Grima, Lara Mompalao and Charlene Said.
Theatre Studies
Stephen Apap, Stephanie Cachia Camilleri, Dustin John Cauchi, Aldith Gauci* and Ruonan Zhang*.
* in absentia