Islands are sometimes perceived as being isolated, which is certainly true from a physical point of view.
To those with an ‘insular’ mentality, the sea creates a barrier to communications with the outside world, turning islanders into narrow-minded people whose opportunities are limited to the physical delineations of the land. This is of course untrue.
For those with vision, the sea provided opportunity. Historically, intrepid merchants and ship owners set out to take advantage of the commercial possibilities presented by overseas markets. Travelling around the Mediterranean, these seamen and merchants brought back cultural and political ideas that would permeate into various components of Maltese everyday life.
Today, rather than sailing across choppy seas, islanders are connected globally through the Internet highway. The Internet has created a communications revolution that has catapulted us into an age when science fiction is quickly becoming reality. Despite email, social networks and other online tools for keeping people connected, it would be an enormous mistake to completely replace the actual with the virtual. Humans are social animals and yes, Facebook brings together people from all over the world, but nothing beats proper conversation and healthy debates.
This is true for all segments of society irrespective of social background and age bracket.
The heart of discussion and debate should be our students. At the University of Malta, Campus fm airs It’s Debateable, a programme that covers world current affairs, which is produced and presented by students.
These programmes are generally well produced and reflect a high level of awareness and analytical skill. There is another, less public, level of debate and discussion that takes place between university students. Overseas, debates on a wide variety of subjects are held in cafes, union houses, student dormitories, and so on. Students discuss politics, academic subjects that are not necessarily their own and, most of all, ideas, ideas on which their future research and careers may possibly depend.
Unfortunately, such extra-curricular exchange is somewhat hampered by the geography of our island as well as by our very important family traditions. Let me explain in a little more detail. It is a fact that the vast majority of our students live with their parents. This is due to the proximity of our university to all parts of the island. Furthermore, traditionally, young people in Malta tend to stay longer in the parental home than their counterparts overseas. This is in no way a negative aspect but rather a reflection of our Mediterranean roots and family values.
Our university provides good education and training. This can be gauged from the readiness of firms, both foreign and local, to take on local graduates at a time when our job market is prone to oversupply from other EU states. Students who pursue postgraduate studies overseas are another indicator of the high academic standards of our university. It is most encouraging to note that most Maltese students excel in the Masters and PhD programmes they pursue. Quite often, they are singled out at Masters level for their excellence and offered PhD scholarships. Likewise, there are a number of Maltese students with post-doc positions in top level universities all over Europe and beyond.
Recent investments in the infrastructure of the University of Malta must be considered as major steps in the right direction. A new IT building and funding for new laboratories in the Faculty of Engineering are but two examples of great initiatives. A new Labour government will ensure that continued and increased investments in facilities for research will be one its top priorities in tertiary education. A horizontal effort will ensure that the benefits of investment reach as many areas of interest as possible. The idea is not to limit research to the customary fields of engineering and traditional sciences but to extend the investment to, among others, the humanities, climate change, biodiversity and the performing arts. Labour’s vision is to promote research hubs and centres of excellence that will further improve the university’s academic output together with increased innovative contributions to industry in its widest possible meaning.
When in government, Labour will give precedence to local technological initiatives. For example, the university launched an electric boat over three years ago. This is a pioneering idea that is unfortunately not finding the level of government support needed. Despite desperate efforts to get this motor fitted onto a dgћajsa, much promised help for this project has not materialized. We cannot afford to lose this (and possibly many more) great idea simply because of a lack of support.
We need fertile ground for innovation and for ensuring that these projects reach their maximum potential and a new Labour government will strive to provide such ground.
Dr Bonnici is the Opposition’s spokesman for higher education, university, research and culture and a member of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee.
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