Rowdy campus debate, creeping numerus clausus

Last week the local papers gave a significant amount of space to the fact that students at the University sided with Lawrence Gonzi in a rowdy debate between party leaders which was organised by University media organisation Insite on campus.

The leaders of the four political parties contesting the election were cheered and booed during the debate, with the Prime Minister emerging as the most popular among the students present. The debate was an amusing event of the campaign. It should have stopped at that.

However, the Labourites are worried that the stronghold and support they have succeeded to gain in the last years both among academic staff and students appeared to have dwindled away with the publishing of the Labour Party's weak proposals for education during the electoral campaign. Lino Spiteri wrote that what occurred at the University last Monday was nothing less than naked intolerance. This comment was probably meant to be an exaggeration.

It is true that Daphne Caruana Galizia's comments on the matter condoning the use of foul language do not help to convince the educated to vote for the Nationalist Party. But she is certainly not known to have an ultra-charitable and tolerant voice when criticising her neighbour. The fact that she tried to turn the attention on herself because she cannot resist not being in the limelight for good or for bad reasons should not spoil the success of the student event. To state that all Nationalists at Tal-Qroqq projected a bad image of the party is going too far. It is more probable that based on past experience and by analysing the Labour Party's electoral manifesto, students have realised that grey clouds would cover Maltese education as they did in the past if Labour is returned to Government.

Azzjoni Nazzjonali (AN) leader Josie Muscat's son Etienne recently wrote that when the election comes round, we revert to role and become fervent and righteous party apologists. Those not supporting Alternattiva Demokratika and AN have analysed the situation and decided against a 'change' in education. Rather, they are voting in favour of progress in education. They also decided to take Etienne's advice and do something about it.

This, the students perhaps overdid through their reaction on 'Rowdy Monday'. The rowdy demonstration of their views was meant to send a message to the nation in the way that many understand. And Insite demonstrated that it was a good communicator as it certainly gave publicity to the message.

Last week the Nationalist Party also highlighted its proposals for the coming five-year term, promising to pump millions of euros into the country's educational system aimed at reaching high EU benchmarks particularly among post-secondary students taking education to new heights.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi stated that through heavy investment, post-secondary students increased from 40 per cent when Labour leader Alfred Sant was in power to the current 70 per cent. This is certainly a great achievement as far as numbers are concerned. We have to make sure that the quality of tertiary education for which our University is so well renowned is sustained.

Dr Gonzi mentioned the numerus clausus at the University that the Labour Government used to reduce access to tertiary education. It would be interesting to know whether a Nationalist Government is ready to remove the numerus clausus that is creeping in again slowly but surely on certain courses such as physiotherapy, dentistry, speech therapy and certain nursing courses.

It would also be reassuring if those who have stood by the Government's policy and refrained from applying a numerus clausus to their courses despite having to run them on a shoestring budget, are assured that their budget will be increased in proportion to the larger number of students joining these courses.

The different entry requirements for certain courses in similar fields were introduced to compensate for removing the numerus clausus. Is it not time to introduce equally high entry standards for all courses of the same duration in the same faculty?

An increase in funding would also be of interest to those who currently have to go abroad to enroll in courses that have not started in Malta due to lack of finances, such as veterinary surgery and aeronautics.