University and MCAST students are calling for lectures and examinations to remain online amid high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
Students are expected to start physically attending lectures at Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology on Monday.
But student Jean Pierre Farrugia has set up a petition for lectures to remain online, and over 425 people signed it within 24 hours. There are 7,000 full-time students at MCAST.
“Measures are being taken sure, but it’s not enough," he told Times of Malta.
“We want to stick to online because, as it stands, no one is safe. Cases are still going up and the school environment, as safe as they promise us it is, it’s not enough,” he said.
He said some students are more vulnerable to others and others were worried about spreading the virus to family members.
A spokesperson for MCAST said it understood the worries of students and had met with members of the Student Council to discuss the issue. She pointed out that there has also been feedback from students who want to return to campus.
"We want to minimise the negative impact on teaching and learning while keeping our community safe," she said. "We will continuously review the circumstances to be flexible and responsive to the wider situation. "
She said that as MCAST is a vocational and professional education and training institution, on-campus learning remains "the best alternative."
In the case of the University of Malta, while some individual faculties must decide whether to hold lectures virtually from January 10, all exams are to be held on site.
Those who contract COVID-19 will be allowed to sit for the tests a few weeks later, rather than having to wait until September.
In a separate petition set up by University Students on Tuesday, 1,860 students had called for online lectures and exams.
“Thousands of students have sacrificed a lot this year to ensure their own safety as well as that of their loved ones, and it seemed like just a few months ago we were experiencing a breath of fresh air with the relaxation of measures and life returning to a semblance of normality,” the petition reads.
“Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore with the recent alarming surge of COVID 19 cases, proving that the new variant of the virus spreads like wildfire (…) students plea that they have sacrificed way too much this year to endanger themselves now when the number of infections is at an all-time high.”
Law students join in the call for exams to be held online
Law student organisations GħSL and Elsa Malta have written to the university administration, the dean of the Faculty of Law, the heads of departments and the government insisting that examinations are held online.
“Daily COVID-19 cases are not simply 30-80 cases anymore, but over a thousand cases daily, constantly on the rise. Hence, how does the Faculty of Laws presume that law students are able to attend physical examinations under these conditions?,” the organisations said.
“It is absolutely absurd to think that a student should be forced to attend a physical exam when Malta is amidst a pandemic, unfortunately leading to a high rise in cases again.”
The organisations highlighted that students will avoid getting tested during the exam period and therefore put other students and their families at risk.