PN demands answers over change in university laws

The Nationalist Party has called on the government to explain why it is lowering the standards in Malta’s education system.

A legal notice published on 8 May modified the Further and Higher Education Licensing, Accreditation and Quality Assurance regulations to allow any “accredited higher educational institute” to become a fully-fledged university if the National Commission for Further and Higher Education deems it to be “in the national interest”.

The new amendments also reduce the number of minimum fields from six to four, in which programmes leading to higher diplomas, Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees are offered. They also remove the requirement to have at least four fields in which doctorate programmes are offered.

The law was tweaked three days after the government signed a Head of Agreement with the Jordanian construction firm Sadeen for the latter to construct the private ‘American University of Malta’. The law update will make it unproblematic for the NCFHE to green-light the AUM’s aspirations.

“Who did the government consult with before implementing this legal notice?” shadow education minister Therese Comodini Cachia questioned in a statement. “Why has the government lowered the criteria through which a university can be established in Malta? What does the government mean by the phrase ‘national interest’? How will the government ensure that there will be a level playing field between the University of Malta, existing private institutions and other universities? What measures will the government take to ensure high education standards from institutions seeking to be accredited in Malta, and therefore to have their degrees recognized across Europe?”