University lecturers are being forced to hold lectures in their offices or to postpone lessons, as the number of rooms available on campus is not enough to cater for all classes, this newspaper is informed.

Sources told the Times of Malta that lecturers are regularly being told to reschedule sessions, as there are no classrooms available. Since  this is sometimes impossible – because both the lecturer and the students may have other commitments – the lecturers are opting to conduct their lessons in small offices.

Contacted about this, a university spokesman said that “very few lectures have not been assigned a venue”, adding there were instances where due to changes in timetables or additional requirements, a venue was not “always available instantly”.

He added that while no lectures had been cancelled, student registration was still ongoing and some venues had to be changed to fit bigger groups.

“There is no shortage, but lecture space is tight for most of the week, including evenings.

“Our facilities accommodate lectures for over 3,500 study units during this semester,” the spokesman said.

Lecturers who spoke to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity insisted, however, the issue was not so straightforward and they were often being told the venues were fully booked.

According to these lecturers, this was also the case with lessons for small classes.

A number of portacabins – portable cabins that can be moved around – have this year been set up on campus in an attempt to address the issue.

The lecturers fear, however, that while the university plans to increase the number of students in the coming years, there is little space available as it has already reached its limit.

On this, the spokesman said that while there were plans to build a new block of lecture rooms in the short-term, the university “continuously repurposes existing space so as to increase the number of lecture rooms available”. Existing facilities were also being regularly refurbished, the spokesman added.

“The university also successfully applied for European Union funds, which were used to build and equip entire new blocks such as IT Services and the Faculty of ICT,” he said.