PN leader Bernard Grech has lambasted the government's plans to slash €1.1 million from the funds allocated to the University, saying that this move proves that the government does not have education at heart.

The budget allocated to the University of Malta has been reduced by at least €1.1 million for the next academic year, PN Education spokesperson Justin Schembri said in a statement on Tuesday. This drastic reduction in the budget of the University of Malta was confirmed by the Rector, Professor Alfred J. Vella, in a communication he sent on the same day to the Deans of the Faculties, Schembri said.

In an interview on the PN radio station Wednesday, Grech said that his party had warned the PL government to be careful with public funds expenditure, and what the government did was cut down the funding of the education system.

Instead of doing so, the government should look to “save money from all the theft being committed through direct orders or the paying of people double or triple times for their jobs”.

Grech said that the PN did not stop working during the summer as “ we always continue working on a plan ahead”.

The PN will continue to meet people, and plan policies to show “how this country can be led better because you deserve a better quality of life”.

Grech said that the quality of life has decreased under the Labour government.

Mentioning the court cases delays as one of the major problems for this, he said that many people do not feel they are being served justice.

“When the justice system does not do its job, then there is a decrease in the quality of life”, he said.

Another problem he mentioned was the waiting time for patients at Mater Dei Hospital.

The Opposition Leader said that many people are fearing for their safety and are afraid to go out in the streets, given the number of fights that have been reported recently.

“With the lack of investment in the Police corps, the government has dismantled it,” he said.

He said that the government is not leading the country in the right direction as there is no plan and localities are accomodating more people than they have space for.

Grech said that the issue should not be dealt with by fighting foreigners, “as it is not the problem”, but to put pressure on the government.

“We (the PN) are going to put pressure on the government as Robert Abela is obliged to give every citizen residing in Malta a serene life,” he said.

He said that the PN had built its national security proposals with the intention of making feeling people safe on the streets since “we are a population that likes to socialise”.