MCAST students are growing more anxious and frustrated as they seek the assistance of lecturers who cannot help them due to an impasse in a three-year negotiation process for better working conditions.

One nursing student who spoke to Times of Malta  said she should soon graduate but that dream could go out the window if she is not given her marks.

“Without the marks, I fear I won’t be able to graduate and all of us here are eager to start working, some of us more than others as they badly need financial stability,” she said.

The frustration stems from the ongoing dispute between the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the government, which have yet to agree on a new collective agreement for MCAST lecturers and staff, the last one having elapsed in 2021.

Over the past months, the union dished out a series of directives, the last of which were controversially rolled out at the beginning of the scholastic year in October, intended to pressure the government to iron out the pending issues.

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.

Several students who spoke to Times of Malta said they are particularly concerned about the withholding of marks and the lack of communication from lecturers.

“We do get help during the lectures but our emails to lecturers remain largely unanswered and it’s getting incredibly stressful because we need their support,” one student said.

Another student who is doing engineering said that, since their lecturers are not handing out assignments, their final grades will depend solely on their performance during the exams.

Others fear their degrees may be invalidated due to the implementation of administrative passes.

“We’re worried about our future job prospects,” one said. “An administrative pass doesn’t reflect our true abilities and it could hinder our chances of getting a good job.”

The issue brought about a wave of protests and demonstrations by lecturers and students over the past months.

In early October, lecturers protested alongside MUT and, later that month, students staged a protest at the Paola campus to express frustration over the ongoing dispute.

A parliamentary petition filed earlier this month to “end the academic limbo for students and educators” had garnered 465 signatures at the time of writing.

Lecturers also initiated a petition of their own, calling for the “prompt conclusion of our collective agreement”.

MCAST said when contacted that the negotiations remain a priority for all involved and progress “is ongoing, with further meetings scheduled in the coming days”.

“MCAST’s management is committed to respecting the directives currently in place while ensuring that students’ academic progress and well-being are prioritised,” a spokesperson for MCAST said.

“The College continues to stress the urgency of these discussions and is working diligently to reach a resolution that balances the interests of all stakeholders.”

MUT holding talks with the Office of the Prime Minister

Marco Bonnici, president of the Malta Union of Teachers, told Times of Malta that talks on the MCAST agreement are being held at the Office of the Prime Minister. They are being led by the Permanent Secretary at OPM.

Negotiations are ongoing with several meetings being held on a weekly basis. The latest meeting was on Wednesday afternoon and meetings are planned for the following weeks until Christmas.

"The MUT hopes that these negotiations will lead to a new agreement for all the affected grades at MCAST. With regards to directives, the union will lift them once it is satisfied with the new agreement," Bonnici said.

Directives should not impact students - Education Ministry

The Education Ministry said MCAST is doing everything possible to reach an agreement that benefits both lecturers and students as soon as possible.

"The ministry reiterates that no directive should negatively impact the educational journey of the students and once again appeals to all concerned parties to be reasonable and reach an agreement regarding these negotiations," it said.