The University Students’ Council (KSU) has lambasted a consultation document suggesting that a governing board should take over strategic planning from the university rector.

Providing feedback on the document to Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, the KSU noted that it was being proposed that the members of the board would be nominated by the Prime Minister.

But it did not make sense to come up with a new board which did not include students.

Students said the proposed governing board would give rise to a conflict of interest, as this board also had to approve the university’s academic plan. This board should adopt a consultative role with the academic plan being approved by the senate and council.

The proposed legislation, they said, also suggested that faculty deans would not be able to retain the position for more than eight years, but the student body proposed that a reviewing process under the government board is set up instead.

Addressing students during the presentation, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo agreed that autonomy and transparency were an important part of university.

He said that democratic and procedural decisions that were "top-down decisions" had now been changed.

He also said that the ministry was working on introducing a principle that would allow the university to have a legal right to "be a critic of the country".

Feedback is being received until November 30.