Removal of smart card ‘will make students more responsible’ – PM

The removal of the smart card system in the distribution of the students’ maintenance grant will help students become more responsible, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said.

The Ministry for Education has opted to remove the smart card system and instead transfer the maintenance grant directly into the students’ bank account. The student smart card was originally meant to help with costs for educational material but over the years students have been able to purchase anything, according to a report by the Office of the Auditor General.

The removal of the smart card system was criticised by some as “an irresponsible act” which will give students direct access to a substantial amount of money which may not necessarily be spent on educational material.

“The removal of the smart card system is a symbolic measure of how we want to helps students to become more responsible. The measure, in reality, is a no-brainer and does away with a Big Brother system which was proving to be expensive and ineffective,” Muscat said during a meeting with the University Students’ Council (KSU).

He said that students will choose how to spend the money in their own way, learning along the way how to prioritise their budgets.

“One may do a mistake or not, but surely a lesson will be learned by the third one,” Muscat added.

During their meeting with the KSU, both Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and Muscat lauded the “good working relationship” enjoyed with the students’ council.

“The way you handled the academic staff’s industrial action showed your responsibility,” Bartolo said, adding that any pending examination results will soon be issued.

Muscat said the government was seeking to fill in the gap between qualified students seeking work and employers seeking experienced workers. To minimise this gap, the government is also working on an employability index.