‘Malta must tap into tertiary education market’ – Labour MP

Malta must start tapping into the tertiary education market using its geographical position in the centre of the Mediterranean to its advantage, Labour MP Deborah Schembri said.

“Around 400,000 students around the world study abroad every year,” Schembri said in her parliamentary adjournment.

She praised the recent announcement that a private university will be constructed in the south of Malta, insisting that it will offer a high-quality of education, create 400 jobs, and bring an investment of €115 million.

Last week, the government signed an agreement with the Jordanian construction firm Sadeen for the construction of the American University of Malta. Schembri highlighted that the Chicago-based DePaul University are involved in the projected.

“People have said that it won’t be an American University and that the DePaul University will have nothing to do with the project,” Schembri said. “While it won’t set up the university itself, it will prepare their curriculum and help it out greatly.”

She said that the university is expected to attract 1,000 freshers every year and eventually host an average of 4,000 students. She said that these spending students will have a positive ripple effect on the economy and will “regenerate” the south of Malta.

“Three quarters of them will have to find accommodation elsewhere than the university dormitories,” she said. “If their friends or family come to visit them, it will also boost tourism. If they need to learn English, they can attend one of the several English-language schools on the island.

“The government wants Malta to become a centre of excellence for education.”

The proposed university site is at Zonqor Point is outside development zones, provoking outrage from environmental NGOs.

While Schembri insisted that the government will consider alternative sites, she pointed out that the campus will require a certain degree of size, that ODZ land was positively used under previous administrations which is good, and that the campus, as is designed for Zonqor,  will be quite dispersed, to ensure for proper landscaping.