The government’s fledgling deal with Jordanian investors and an American university is welcome news.  We say ‘fledgling’ because what was signed on Tuesday was a heads of agreement, meaning that not much has been etched in stone, which essentially outlines the main issues of a future partnership.

Our sister newspaper last Sunday quoted senior government sources as saying that with the advent of this new university, the government is looking to instil an element of competition in the tertiary education sector, in the form of a direct competitor to the University of Malta.

As such, it will be extending the stipends that University of Malta students receive to Maltese students at the American university.  It is also in talks over the offering of scholarships for Maltese students.

Whatever the case, the halls of academia at Tal-Qroqq will not be falling silent anytime soon.  This new university will reportedly cater for a maximum of 4,000 students, the vast majority of which, is can be expected, will come from abroad and will pay tuition fees that will be, whatever that tuition is, far dearer than what University of Malta students pay – nothing.

Any competition, as we can see from the private sector, is healthy for all those concerned and it inevitably benefits the end consumers, the students themselves in this case.

The University of Malta itself has responded by welcoming the advent of a new university, but it has called for a level playing field and a proper impact assessment.

The main fly in the project’s ointment appears to be the location of the campus itself. It has been earmarked for the time being in the environs of Zonqor Point, Marsascala and environmental NGOs plus the Green Party have cried foul over the potential use of virgin land.

The latter has proposed the use of Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara, a stone’s throw from the SmartCity project and which is in dire need of restoration.  AD has a good point here, with so many derelict and historic buildings lying idle, such as the 70,000 square meter Fort Ricasoli, it would be a shame to sacrifice more of the little unspoilt land we have left in the country for development of any nature.

But in the meantime, we are fooling ourselves into thinking that a 4,000 student university campus could possibly be enclosed within the confines of a fort. More buildings and ample open spaces will certainly also be required so let us be rational in our approach to land use.

As if to outset the negative public reaction, the Prime Minister has said there will be a parallel development of a national nature park next door, and the possible incorporation of a to-be-restored Fort Leonardo into the campus itself, which would cut down on the project’s total land use. 

At Tuesday’s heads of agreement signing, he also said that the new university would help finance the national park, open sports facilities to the local community and help rehabilitate the former national pool.

The Prime Minister also referred to the fact that the project and the site selection has not been presented as a fait accompli, and that there will be project applications, environmental impact assessments and an alternative site selection process.

These should all be open to public consultation and the public will be able to pitch in their two cents’ worth at the appropriate time. 

While it is very well and good that objections to the project’s location were made when they were - that could have very well influenced the government’s direction vis-à-vis the form the project will take in the end – but future criticism of the project should wait until the final plans are tabled.