The University will be opening the doors of its lecture rooms to the public for a whole semester starting next month.

Paul Sant Cassia, a lecturer of anthropology who thought up the initiative, said the idea was to contribute towards broadening the horizons of interested non-students.

The University has identified a number of lectures offered by several faculties, institutes and centres that may be attended by the public, free of charge.

Prof. Sant Cassia said the scheme was aimed at individuals who had an interest in following such lectures with the aim of widening their general and cultural knowledge.

He explained that foreign universities usually opened their doors to the public, adding that the University of Malta had adapted this model to its own needs. It has been working on it since the beginning of the scholastic year.

He said space in lecture rooms was limited so people who were interested had to register online as soon as possible.

Asked whether any certificates of attendance would be handed out to those who followed lectures, Prof. Sant Cassia said this was not the plan.

"We want to show that the university is more than just certificates. Those who do not want to attend because we are not giving a certificate have a narrow and utilitarian mentality. Education is not all about obtaining certificates, but a way of life. We are doing this for people who want to broaden their horizons and follow a university lecture, interact with students and get a taste of what life on campus is like," he said.

Asked whether the initiative was aimed at enticing people to return to the university benches to further their studies, Prof. Sant Cassia said it was not primarily designed for this "but if it has this effect, it would be positive".

The list of lectures starting in February includes topics such as far eastern religions and philosophy; structure and change in Malta's economic history; theories of literature; human anatomy and basic concepts of biomechanics; child law; historical and social aspects of ICT; thermodynamics and kinetic theory.

A full list of lectures and the online registration form are available at www.um.edu.mt/registrar/students/publiclectures.

The registration deadline is January 18.