Watch: Joseph Muscat praises unprecedented investment in MCAST and University

Gabriel Schembri Tuesday, 30 May 2017, 10:10 Last update: about 8 years ago

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that the investment in education, especially in the research centre at the University of Malta, was unprecedented and a leap forward for Malta's education sector.

Addressing a press conference in MCAST Paola, Dr Muscat said that Minister Evarist Bartolo did an excellent job in the last four years. He said that the fact that the government is investing €1 million for university research shows the serious level of commitment.

"We invested a lot in infrastructure and to provide money for university salaries. Nowadays, University has a new sustainable structure," he added. He said he met with the rector and asked him for his biggest wish. He had said there needs to be a proper fund and for the university to have proper research facilities.

The Prime Minister said that he chose to visit MCAST because it has to be considered a proper institution and should be considered as such.

"We need to create new alternatives, new roads for success, among MCAST has to be present. It is not an alternative path, but another road which will lead to success," he said while flanked by Minister for Education Evarist Bartolo and PL candidate Nikita Zammit Alamango.

He said the number of studetns who were willing to repeat a year because they were still given a stipend was phenomenal.

Minister Evarist Bartolo explained that the expenditure on stipends increased by €5.5 million. The service was expanded to those who repeated the years, and to mature students. Infrastructural projects on the campus in MCAST were kept on going while investment in university also increased by €30 million.

The Labour Party is pledging to complete the infrastructural projects at MCAST in the coming years.

Commenting on the €1 million investment for innovative research at the University of Malta, Mr Bartolo said there was a time when the government allocated €400 euros for such project. "Even a bocci club gets more money", he added.

It was also announced that the government will be willing to allocate €850 for students willing to go study a language abroad.