‘End The Academic Limbo’ – MCAST Students To Address Parliament On Ongoing MUT Directives Crisis
As the end of first semester of the scholastic year draws nearer, Engineering students at MCAST take their call to action to a parliamentary level.
Following the long-lasting dispute between MCAST students, lecturers and governmental bodies, multiple initiatives and protests have taken place to combat the restrictive directives placed by the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT).
In an official statement, student Ayrton Cassar from the Engineering course explained that the unresolved conflict had left students with no assignments as of yet – “a situation unprecedented in MCAST’s academic history.”
He continues by listing down the inevitable outcomes, should no resolution be reached:
“Overwhelming Assignment Pile-Up: Students may be swamped with all assignments at once.
Exam-Only Assessment: Students may face single-exam grading, which can unfairly impact their chances of success.
Administrative Passes: The issuance of administrative passes could jeopardise the validity of their degrees and, crucially, their eligibility for professional warrants.”
Cassar explained that not only are students’ hard-earned degrees and eligibility are at stake, but also their mental wellbeing, academic performance and evidently, their future career prospects.
In response to the situation and the students pleas, Shadow Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Justin Schembri invited MCAST students and interested stakeholders to a meeting at the Maltese Parliament this Friday.
Meanwhile, an official parliamentary petition was launched in order for the matter and the support surrounding it to be formally brought before parliament.
“We invite students from all departments and years to attend and add their voices to this effort,” representatives from the Engineering course said in the statement, “For those who can’t attend in person, we urge you to sign the petition to support our call for fair assessment and secure degrees.”
The petition, labelled #49, has garnered over 200 signatures since its launch on 7th November and will close on 10th January 2025. It can be found at parlament.mt/14th-leg/petitions/
Will you sign the petition or attend the meeting in person?
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