The library at the University of Malta (UoM) is home to thousands of books, written by gifted authors. These authors are in possession of the ability to string words together with eloquence, concision and clarity, or with the remarkable intelligence of formulating their own theories based on evidential grounds. Yet, few are the students who resort to the library for use of these books. Unfortunately, the place has been turned into a "study area’. However, this is not the main concern of many individuals who believe that today’s students are primarily concerned with passing exams, and not with gaining an education that may serve a lifetime.
Hundreds of students are familiar with the library, knowing not merely their whereabouts, but also their favourite areas, and the areas that are most likely to be vacant during the busy months of examinations. This, in fact, is where the problem lies. How is it that the library seems to be deserted during the main part of both semesters, but serves as an asylum for students cramming ridiculous workloads into a short couple of weeks prior to sitting for their exams? The library hours available to Maltese students at UoM further assert the notion that students prefer to abandon their studies throughout the year, and cram right before exams.
When speaking to students attending the UoM, many were those who claimed that the opening hours are an annoyance. Having the library open at 9am every morning, results in a loss of almost 2 hours a day for many students. Students travelling to UoM by car and getting to their destination at around 7am to find parking, those dropped off by employed relatives or friends, and others making use of public transport at early hours, face the unnecessary dilemma of deciding where to spend the first two hours of their morning. These hours, when most students are at the opium of concentration, could be spent on studies, but are generally wasted on coffees and chats with friends. However, it is the closing hours of the library that are of utmost relevance to attitudes adopted towards exams. Over the last few years Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU) have rightfully introduced extended library hours during examinations period. That said, one must not fall into believing the common assumption that students only dedicate their time to studies during this time. Having the library open till 11pm, for only a few weeks a year, does not encourage lifelong learning, but continues to push the idea that memorising is synonymous to learning. Memorising may get a couple of As per semester, but almost everything that has been memorised will be forgotten before the results are published on eSims!
Unfortunately, with the national educational system, As tend to be awarded to students who lack simple background knowledge on their field of study, but have managed to regurgitate bulks of information found online. These may be the same students who will eventually proudly present outstanding transcripts to potential employers, but who will fail to put the knowledge they once wrote down during an exam to practice.
Many factors often lead one to ask the question "is the UoM producing experts, or is it producing experts at passing exams?’ The current situation of the library is no exception.
