University wrongly certified teaching graduates as postgrads between 2010-2013

The University of Malta “mistakenly” classified an undergraduate degree in teaching as being a postgraduate degree for students who graduated between 2010 and 2013, the Commissioner for Education within the Ombudsman's Office has found.

Approximately 400 graduates were handed an incorrect transcript and were never informed about this error, the commissioner says in a report published on Tuesday.

The issue emerged when a teacher working in a church school was asked by the Secretariat for Catholic Education of the Archdiocese of Malta to confirm with the University of Malta that her Postgraduate Certification in Education (PGCE) was a MQF level 7 (postgraduate qualification).

The university refused to do so, saying that her PGCE was actually an MQF level 6 (undergraduate qualification).

The teacher then filed a complaint against the university through the Ombudsman's Office, arguing that the university “unjustly refused” to award her an MQF level 7.

The commissioner noted how the teacher’s certification listed a “second cycle” qualification labelled as MQF level 7. This was, however, contradicted by the programme of studies that only listed study units that were at the “undergraduate level”.

Responding to questions from the commissioner, the university explained that between 2010 and 2013 the PGCE qualification was “mistakenly recorded as a second cycle qualification”.

This error was made primarily because the course title had “Postgraduate” in it.

“The error was corrected in 2014, and for all subsequent years in which the course was offered, it was accurately classified as a first cycle qualification at MQF/EQF Level 6,” the university told the commissioner.

The commissioner noted in his report that no attempt seemed to have been made by the university to reach out to the complainant or any other graduates affected by this.

“It is most unfortunate, to put it mildly, that the university opted for the ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ option,” the commissioner said.

The university told the commissioner that it would be offering a “top-up course” from October 2026 for all PGCE graduates.

“The plan is to offer the programme on a micro-credential basis so that students can study at their own pace and accumulate the necessary credits in order to be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma or a Master’s degree, in case the registered students complete a dissertation,” the university said.

The commissioner agreed with this solution but insisted that anybody who undertakes this course should be exempted from tuition fees.

The PGCE course was replaced by a Master's in Teaching and Learning (MTL) in 2016. To join the two-year master’s course, students need to have a bachelor's degree in a humanities or sciences subject.