Education, Careers & Professional News
A Europe without borders - the opportunities and threats to our higher education system
The strengths and weaknesses of higher education in Malta was discussed in a seminar Chevening Alumni, a professional public higher education and the private sector. Christopher P. Buttigieg, Secretary-General, Chevening Alumni Association of Malta reports
Manpower Malta is the most important natural resource. A skilled, flexible and adequate manpower trained to ensure economic and social development of our country. In fact, it is generally accepted that the main key to generate economic growth in Malta is located in the general educational attainment of citizens of our country. For the education system for the type of graduates and workers who are in Malta, it is of fundamental importance to our politicians and our educators planning and management of the safety of our youth to higher education in sectors in which Malta has the potential for further development and growth. Furthermore, it is also important to devote to Malta, a high degree of attention, including financial resources for the education sector to ensure that courses on all levels of our education system, Top-notch.
Over the past ten years we have seen an increasing influx of foreign universities which offer their services to Malta. The possibility of transportation or education without frontiers ahead, either in the form of distance education or the establishment of branches in the campus Malta, presented the opportunities and risks for the education system in place. What kind of course, are foreign universities, which Malta? These courses an acceptable level? In addition, the University of Malta has undertaken the necessary reforms to be able to face this tough competition from abroad? On Friday, 11 April, the Chevening Alumni Association of Malta, in collaboration with the British High Commission, organized in the late afternoon, a seminar on the impact of a Europe without borders Malta on the education system.
Prof. Juanito Camilleri, the rector of the University of Malta, president of the seminar, putting the public with an interesting overview of higher education in a global context. He also explained the possible effects of competition in the Global players from the University of Malta and delved into the nature and how our university is the development, the changes that are being established and its vision for the future of our university. Given the good level of financial resources and changes in the governance structure of the University of Malta, Professor Camilleri is convinced that our universities can compete with the best ranking universities abroad. Regarding the provision of higher education in foreign universities Malta, Professor Camilleri welcomes this development as a provider of these services to contribute to the progress of the Constitution of Malta education system, for example Through investments in community development Maltese research. He also stressed that appropriate regulation should be put in place to ensure that only the best universities are allowed, their services in Malta.
Jacques Sciberras, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Commission for Higher Education (NCHE), said the government plans regarding the regulation of the education sector Maltese focuses on proposals of the NCHE during the year 2007. In particular, he explained the nature and the manner in which the proposal formal accreditation and quality assurance for executives and their suppliers programs are structured NCHE proposals are once again putting them into practice.
Reuben Buttigieg, the chairman of the education branch of the Malta Institute of Management (MIM), called the government’s plan for Malta to a service centre for higher education and outlined the challenges that gave rise to Malta face, if it wants to achieve this objective Objective. In particular, it draws attention to the fact that Malta does not have a framework of accreditation to certify service providers Maltese, MIM, export their services outside Malta. It is the Maltese education at a disadvantage with foreign service providers. Mr. Buttigieg, furthermore, that MIM is firmly convinced that Malta could become an international centre of excellence in the fields of education and that this vision is to reach the limits of proper coordination of activities between the Government of Malta, government agencies, NGOs and different suppliers of training programme in Malta.
The British High Commissioner, Mr. Nick Archer, commended the graduates for the initiative and explains the importance of ensuring that only serious operators for the education of their services in Malta. He added that, given the presence of UK universities in Malta, this objective is a priority for the High Commission.