17 - 23 February 2000

120 students to take part in EU educational programmes

by Ivan Brincat

Around 120 students will be eligible to participate in European Union exchange programmes such as Socrates, students were told during a meeting at the University yesterday. Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Borg said that funds for the education programmes will be available either towards the end of this year or the beginning of next year at the latest.

Dr Borg said the government was looking into the cost-effectiveness of participation until the pre-accession funds are made available.

He was speaking during an event organised by the MZPN (Nationalist Party Youth Movement) at the university, a day after former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici addressed the students.

Meanwhile, Dr Joe Mifsud, who is responsible for the Erasmus and Socrates educational programmes, said that the university has signed over 40 bilateral agreements with various European universities.

He said that during the 2000-2001 scholastic year, there will be 120 places for students to go to foreign universities for a semester instead of spending the semester at the University of Malta.

Dr Mifsud said that students would not pay anything and would also be given maintenance grants. "The mobility will also be open for lecturers."

Applications for students interested in participating in these programmes will be issued at the end of this month.

Dr Mifsud said the only problem was found in the Faculty of Medicine since they do not have a credit system. Dr Borg said that this was one of the bottle necks that had to be eliminated. The minister was asked if there was a real risk of foreign workers coming to Malta. He said he mostly feared the exodus of qualified workers but added that the country could not stop this. "However, a mass exodus from Sicily to Malta is unimaginable since Sicilians can travel north, east or west," he said.

Speaking on stipends, he said that these were there to stay even if Malta joined the European Union. He said there were ways of retaining the stipends for Maltese students and it was not necessary for foreigners to be entitled to a stipend.

Dr Borg said that once Malta joins the EU, security measures would need to be reinforced to avoid illegal immigration and drug trafficking. "This will not only be in our interest but also in the interest of the EU."

He said that the government is sure of being able to negotiate a good package for Malta and said that the country would be prepared to join on 1 January 2003 if the enlargement takes place then.