Updated 6.20pm

MCAST students plan to hold two separate protests on Wednesday to raise awareness about the impact of an ongoing dispute between lecturers and the government. 

The Institute of Creative Arts students are planning a 'protest picnic' on the road between MCAST's Mosta campus and Lidl for 11.45am on Wednesday.  

In a statement, the students said there was "deep frustration and uncertainty" among students due to industrial action by the Malta Union of Teachers. 

Separately, another protest endorsed by Kunsill Studenti MCAST (KSM), will kick off at 11am at the Students' House Piazza on the MCAST Paola campus.

Students from MCAST Qormi will join their peers in Paola, staging a carcade on their way to the protest to demand urgent action.

The directives mean students have had marks and grades withheld and assignment briefs for the upcoming year have not been verified. 

Staff are also banned from communicating with management and students outside designated hours.

"With teachers on strike since October 4, 2024, students feel their educational futures are at risk as they await government intervention while their academic progress is severely compromised," the Mosta MCAST students said. 

"The situation has become difficult for many students, prompting them to consider dropping out as they navigate the implications of the union's directives."

The Paola and Qormi students meanwhile said the unresolved directives threaten to jeopardise their career prospects, limit their chances of progressing within their courses, and reduce their employability.

"These longstanding issues have left students feeling exhausted and frustrated, with no clear resolution in sight."

Among other directives, the union ordered lecturers to avoid communication with MCAST administration and students outside of designated contact hours, to boycott events and not show up for extracurricular activities and school ceremonies, to refrain from disclosing assessment marks to students or management, not to show up for staff meetings, to limit work to essential tasks like teaching and to halt research activities, including providing support for students who are doing their theses.