[WATCH] Higher education commission regrets timing of legal notice regulating universities

Higher education commission chief declines to comment on hasty American university agreement

The chairman of the National Commission for Further and Higher Education Martin Scicluna declined to comment on the government’s decision to announce its agreement with Jordanian construction company Sadeen Group before the company was granted a license to operate a university. 

Asked by MaltaToday whether it would have been preferable and made the commission’s job easier had the announcement been made after the commission’s final decision on the proposed university, Scicluna said “I would rather not comment,” adding that circumstances were dictated by the customary Maltese political maneuvering.

Confirming that the commission is in talks with representatives of the Jordanian construction group behind the proposal, Scicluna said it was up to the applicant to convince the commission on whether they deserve a license or not.   

He added that while government was not putting any pressure on the commission to grant Sadeen Group a license, “its their (Sadeen) business to satisfy criteria.”

Turning to the controversy surrounding the changes to the legal notice regulating the accreditation of educational institutions, Scicluna firmly said "its an absolute canard to say that the quality criteria have been reduced in any shape or form" to accommodate the planned American University of Malta.

But he did acknowledge that the publication of the new legal notice days after government signed an agreement with the Jordanian contractors was a "pure coincidence."

According to Scicluna, the legal notice had been agreed upon weeks before its publication last month, however government delayed its publication because of the internal processes involved before the publication of such notices.

In a press conference, which Scicluna regretfully said should have been held two weeks ago, the commission’s chairman reassured that "there will be absolutely no lowering of standards," adding that the changes to the legal notice will not change or reduce the rigour of due diligence process on the proposed American University of Malta.

Scicluna who heads the commission which issues licenses, accreditation and quality assurance of higher educational institutions in Malta said the legal notice changes have been in discussion for months and "is not about the quantity of programmes but the need to ensure quality of academic standards."

He explained that the changes to the legal notice only intends to include universities and higher education institutions which run a limited number of courses, which were previously excluded by the original legal notice.

"It is completely incorrect to state that standards of accreditation have been reduced in any shape or form to accommodate the American University of Malta," Scicluna said, adding that the changes would facilitate the attraction of top quality foreign universities.

The commission is currently reviewing three applications for foreign universities, including the American University of Malta.