Government must support University like it has supported band clubs - PN

The government needs to provide increased funding for the university in the same way as it provided funding to stop band clubs from being evicted from their properties, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday.

It was reacting to a Times of Malta story that the University of Malta is €11 million in the red.

The PN said spending on education is the best investment the country can make.

Referring to the university's deficit, it said that in the same way as the government had rightly supported band clubs so that they would not be evicted by landlords, it must provide the necessary support to ensure that the University of Malta continues to operate smoothly and without limitations.

The government has supported 15 band clubs to the tune of several million euro, buying properties from their landlords in order to stop their eviction. It allocated €9.2 million just for the King's Own Band Club in Valletta.  

"Just as it is important to safeguard our country’s culture, it is equally important to protect Malta’s highest educational institution – the guarantee of academic development for today’s and tomorrow’s generations," the party said.

It observed that the University has ended up in its current situation primarily because the government cut its budget while increasing lecturers’ salaries, which are paid from that same budget.

The PN said the university should not be regarded as a commercial institution that is expected to generate profit.

The statement was signed by Adrian Delia, shadow minister for finance, and Justin Schembri, shadow minister for education