Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this morning in Parliament that MPs should not be asked to vote on a motion for the transfer of properties for use by the 'American University of Malta' since the goalposts had been changed.

He was making a reference to what Education Minister Evarist Bartolo had said yesterday at the start of the session, when he insisted that the Jordanian businessmen had sought a licence for a 'Higher Education Institution' and not a university.

Dr Busuttil’s objection was made 12 hours after the House started to debate a motion for the transfer of the properties at Cospicua and Zonqor in Marsascala. Replying to the objection, Education Minister Evarist Mr Bartolo said higher education institutions were entitled to offer university programmes.

Mr Bartolo said the motion dealt with the transfer of land and properties to Sadeen Investments Ltd.

But Dr Busuttil said the House should not be misled. The contract continually referred to 'university' and 'American University of Malta' but the minister was now referring to it as an institute for higher education.

Intervening, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the object of the motion was the transfer of the property not the granting of titles to universities.

The sitting was interrupted for the Speaker to give a ruling.

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At the start of the sitting on Tuesday at 6.30pm, introducing the widely-expected debate on what used to be known as the American University of Malta, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo dropped a bombshell: The Sadeen foundation is now applying to be recognised as a Higher Educational Institute.

It will only be when it develops a track record that it may then be classified as a university.

Minister Bartolo, dwelt on how the international aspect of education in Malta has been growing, such as with the mushrooming of language schools.

The government, he said, wanted this sector to grow even further, but it was careful to ensure that standards were high. That was the role of the National Commission for Higher Education.

The process of accreditation of the AUM is very rigorous. Between April and December 41 contacts were made between the applicants and the commission for the assessment of the various programmes as well as governance and the CVs of the academics, Mr Bartolo said.

The granting of the licence did not depend on the volume of investment but on academic standards, Mr Bartolo said, adding that the application was for the operation of a 'higher education institution'. The right to be qualified as a university would then be achieved with the standards shown during the actual operation, he said.

The commission was also examining the relationship between the AUM and the American De Paul university, which is drawing up the courses, the minister added.

"We will not lower standards to accommodate anyone, that would harm us in the long term. We must maintain the standards we achieved in the past," the minister added.

Simon Busuttil

Without mentioning at all the approach proposed by Minister Bartolo, the Leader of the Opposition reiterated the Opposition's stand against AUM and announced a negative vote.

He then listed the bodies and organisations that have spoken against the AUM concept, all eNGOs, farmers, hunters, the Church and the Archbishop, 150 academicians, the Chamber of Commerce and MEA. The fact that while originally the scheme was to take over 90,000aq m and this has now been decreased is no consolation.

Why was Zonqor chosen, and not Tarxien as has been suggested?

Standards in education are being brought down and this is an insult to Malta and to its students. The head of quality assurance within the committee has resigned. 

What should have been done is to first get Sadeem to be recognised as a university and then give it land, not the other way round.

While AUM has not yet been recognised as a university, that is what it has been advertising itself as while the Legal Notice says no one shall use the name of a univerrsity when it is not recognised as such.

There has been a lack of governance: the Marsascala mayor has said he is in favour because Sadeem promised him a new council office.

Joseph Muscat

Prime Minister Muscat said that Malta aims to become a centre of excellenece for teaching in the Mediterranean, continuing on the good that has been done before, while bringing investment and jobs to the South which had been neglected.

He doubts whether Dr Busuttil has read the document of agreement.. It is clear he has a negative agenda which he has explained in hysterical terms.

TYhis investment is right in line with what had been suggested (in PN time) by Angelou Economics.

It was wrong of Dr Busuttil to cast doubts on Martin Scicluna's committee.

PN had brought in great changes without consulting the people, such as bringing in HSBC, Microsoft, Smart City.

Marlene Farrugia

The independent MP said she agrees that Malta should have a centre of excellence in education not just for the Mediterranean but for the whole world but the new university could have been fitted in buildings that could be restored. She made it clear this could be done in the forts in that part of Malta and admitted she had been tricked by someone who told her that so much land would have to be taken to create roads that it would have been an equally huge land-taking.

It was highly ironic that the Faculty of Science would be sited in virgin land.

She appealed to the giovernment not to keep using as an excuse that the preceding government had done this or that. That was why the preceding government was swept away.

The Maltese businessmen must be regretting they were not offered a similar opportunity. Today, a maisonette in Cospicua gets sold for €200,000 whereas this land is being sold for farthings.

Raising her voice, Ms Farrugia accused the government of undercutting the country's roots and rather than that the South was a dustbin in other times, it was a dustbin now and so it will be when there will be the gas ship in Marsaxlokk Bay.

Quarries will be covered with PV panels, a racetrack may be built near Siggiewi or Qrendi. Under Labour Wied Fulija had become a rubbish dump where in her childhood she used to play so much. The PN government cleaned it uo but it is now catching fire once again. The Freeport has now replaced cranes which penetrate the flight area.

She ended with two warnings from history: in Roman times Caius Verres stole from the Marsaxlokk temple: the Maltese engaged Cicero and got their belongings back. In the Middle Ages, the Maltese bought back their freedom from Monroy and King Alfonso gave them their Magna Charta.

The debate continued in the night and is still going on this morning. 

Other speakers in the debate were Charles Mangion, Mario de Marco, Chris Cardona, Beppe Fenech Adami, Leo Brincat, Marthese Portelli, Owen Bonnici, Robert Arrigo, Edward Zammit Lewis, Clyde Puli, Godfrey Farrugia, Claudio Grech, Tonio Fenech, Edward Scicluna, George Pullicino, Silvio Parnis, Antoine Borg, Konrad Mizzi, Joe Mizzi, Carmelo Ablea, Deo Debattista, Censu Galea, Charlo Bonnici, Kristy Debono, Etienne Grech, Claudette Buttigieg, Tony Abela, Stephen Spiteri, Frederick Azzopardi, Robert Cutajar, Chris Said, Jason Azzopardi, David Agius and Deborah Schembri.

A vote is expected later today.