From Mr C. Peregin

No matter how much spin the political media gives to the Campus Debate 2008, no one can deny that it was one of the most talked about events of the political campaign, and that it put students at the centre of it all.

Instead of responding to all the unjust attacks from various students and sections of the media, I will do what KSU President David Herrera failed to do; I will use this moment to appeal to all the political parties to read the following list of issues that students care about.

Obviously I cannot possibly represent all students. Firstly, I was never elected to do so. Secondly, students are a diverse group with many different ideas, something I treasure even with InSite, the organisation I run, so I cannot possibly speak for them all. However, I am bold enough to try to do it anyway.

Here is a list of things that I think students care about, or at least, this is what I think they should care about, and what students want from the political parties during this electoral campaign:

Investment. Until a courageous government removes them, stipends will always be an issue. But the truth is that it is not the Lm36 a month that makes University worth attending. What we need is solid investment, up-to-date technology and equipment, and well-paid dedicated and full-time lecturers. Maintenance grants should be retained for the students who need them.

Efficiency. Yes, we’ve got plenty of opportunities to travel, study abroad and take part in international projects. But the system is inefficient, bureaucratic and many times, too complicated for comfort. We need to invest and provide funding to ensure smooth running of the offices that take care of the international opportunities for students.

Low cost travel. Remove that departure tax once and for all. If you keep us cooped up on this tiny island we will never appreciate all that is beyond our shores and we will never open our eyes to the diversity and creativity of foreign lands. As young people we should be given incentives to travel, not to stay here.

Employment. Having said the above about travel, as students we also need to know that it is worth coming back. We need to tackle this brain drain and try to keep our best people here, otherwise we won’t move forward. We need better-paid jobs, a foolproof system of meritocracy and the eradication of nepotism. We also need more incentives for creativity, innovation and competitiveness.

Quality Education. We need bad lecturers to be replaced. We need good ones to stay. We need commitment and dedication from the teaching staff. We need a constantly updated curriculum. We need a qualifications framework that we can understand and utilise. We need e-learning projects and other innovations throughout the educational institutions.

Housing. There are empty and abandoned houses everywhere we look, yet a tiny property costs more than most young people can ever dream of affording. We need proper rent laws, and we need to make use of abandoned or unused property instead of building on every last metre of Malta’s countryside. We need cheaper and more feasible housing options.

Integration. There is unity in diversity. Any intelligent person should know that racism is dangerous and that integration is the key to a better future. Stop discrimination, unfair employment and inhumane detention conditions.

Environment. We want you to focus on alternative energy to reduce our dependence on oil. That’s the kind of smart island we’re looking for: one that is self-sustainable when it comes to energy, not one where the surcharge is halved. We want illegal spring hunting to stop, and we want waste separation, recycling and incentives to save water and electricity.

Equality. We want gender balance and a country free from exclusion and inequality. We want to discuss issues like divorce and gay rights because Malta cannot live the denial of secularism anymore. We want discrimination, in all its forms, to end. We want accessibility and investment in the technology that empowers those with disabilities. We want every child to be provided with a good education and given the chance to succeed.

Public Transport. We want reform. We want efficiency, well-planned routes and payment systems, punctuality and a decent service. We want convenience that would enable us to use public transport instead of having to battle with the expenses and hassles that owning a car entails. Oh, and, until then, we want more parking at University.

Arts and Culture. We want space to express ourselves. We want to celebrate our talents and share our artistic creations. We want our taxes to be spent on supporting local artists of the various arts, rather than giving money to rich international superstars. But we also want top quality events that promote our country as well as a chance to have fun.

Sports. We want to have an active lifestyle. We spend too much time delving into books and sitting comfortably among all that technology. We need to make sports attractive again, and we need to impart to children a sportive, and active mentality from a young age.

Most of all we ask to be treated with respect and to be acknowledged for our contribution to society. We do not want our intelligence to be insulted by political spin-doctors or pathetic media coverage. We want real issues to be discussed, and we want to be part of those discussions.

We want a chance to show that we do not only care about retaining our stipends, getting drunk at graduation parties or rushing to obtain a mediocre degree.

We want a chance to make a difference to our country and to be the leaders of today, not just the leaders of tomorrow. Hopefully, all the press coverage students have been getting of late will lead to something useful.

Thankfully, the debate did not end last Monday. That was only the beginning.

Christian Peregin

San Pawl tat-Targa