Labour to tap into international student tourism market

INTO University Partnerships, a company with 18 universities operating in China, the United Sates and the United Kingdom looks forward to open facilities in Malta with the aim of attracting some 3,000 foreign students to Malta and Gozo.

INTO chairman Andrew Collins today met Labour leader Joseph Muscat and MPs Owen Bonnici and Evarist Barolo to explain how this would work. The company is also eyeing Gozo for the development of a private campus that would, among others, focus on medical studies.

The company specialises in helping universities address and exploit opportunities brought about by the global movement of students.

"Through a coordinated strategy, Malta could become a hub for foreign students providing programmes of international excellence," Collins said, adding that the Maltese Islands were attractive due to their climate, the geographical position, the good use of the English language and from safety aspects.

Labour leader Joseph Muscat said a new government would introduce pluralism in tertiary education by giving Maltese students opportunities to choose which courses they want to cover.

He added that a new Labour government would see that all educational institutions work in synergy together to attract more students to Malta.

"If elected, we are ready to work with everyone who wants to expand in this sector. We are envisaging INTO partnerships to develop a private campus both in Malta and Gozo," Muscat said, adding that Gozo needs new institutions offering opportunities in medicinal studies.

"Such partnership would be based on the internalisation of educational institutions, starting by ITS and MCAST's expansion abroad," Muscat said.

He added "the agreement we are seeking with foreign universities will not see a reduction in funds to the University of Malta, but we will be simply offer students more choices."

The PL leader also noted that Labour's electoral manifesto made it clear that Labour is committed to carry out such investments in Gozo.

Muscat also said that a Labour government would see that a branch of the Polytechnic of the Mediterranean - a project on the radar of the European Union - would open in Malta.