Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre Appeals Board not functioning since January: Ombudsman

The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman has noted with concern that the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre Appeals Board has not been functioning since January.

The Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) is the competent body within the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority that recognizes qualifications against the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF)​.

​It provides recognition and comparability of both academic and vocational qualifications, using both the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to provide recognition advice on both local and international qualifications. It also assists in the recognition of Maltese qualifications abroad.

On 7 May 2024, in a Final Opinion issued by the Commissioner for Education, it was recommended that the MQRIC Appeals Board, provided for in Article 7 of Cap. 451, should be “constituted in such a way that it can commence to function forthwith so as to give concrete substance to the right of appeal” of persons seeking a revision of the original assessment. The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman was informed that “the process of appointing new Board members is already under way to ensure an effective appeals remedy.”

The office said it appears that up to last week only the Secretary of the Appeals Board had been appointed, as the designated chairperson of the Board was still “awaiting approval from the respective authority.”

“The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman enjoins the authority whose approval is still

awaited to act without further delay to ensure the proper functioning of the

abovementioned MQRIC Appeals Board,” it said.