Law students petition university faculty to hold January exams online

Law students are petitioning their faculty to hold the January exams online in view of the high number of COVID-19 cases and the number of people in quarantine.

Student organisations GħSL and Elsa Malta have written to the university administration, the dean of the Faculty of Laws, the heads of departments, and government bodies calling for exams to be held online.

“It is absolutely absurd to think that a student should be forced to attend a physical exam when Malta is in the middle of a pandemic, unfortunately leading to a high rise in cases again,” the organisations said, adding it made little sense to have online lectures until the end of the semester but not online exams.

As per the agreement reached between Education Minister Clifton Grima and unions, it was agreed university lectures will be held online or in person, at the discretion of the faculty, with exams held as planned. In the case that students are not able to sit for an exam because of quarantine, they will have an opportunity to be assessed within a few weeks, instead of during the September session.

However, the law student organisations warned that students will avoid getting tested for any COVID symptoms during the exam period in order to avoid missing out on examinations, putting other students and their families at a greater risk.

“It should be also noted that other university courses have chosen the safe and right option by scheduling their examinations online. The Faculty of Laws should look at these courses and follow in their path in order to protect us, the students," law organisations stated.

A petition has also been launched online calling for all lectures and examinations to remain online for the sake of both lecturers' and students' health.