On Friday 31st of December, all university of Malta Students received an email from the Emergency situation team clarifying what the students should expect in their first week back from the holidays. The email was divided into two main themes: Lectures and the End of Semester 1 examination. Meanwhile, a petition signed by over 1200 students seems to clearly indicate what students expect from different faculties and the University of Malta administration, especially for the examination session.
Lectures
Monday 3rd:
All lectures will be held online and Faculties, Institutes, Centers and Schools (FICS) shall organize the delivery of all their remaining lectures including practical lectures and direct their respective students population about what to expect in the following weeks before the exams.
Tuesday 4th onward:
Lectures that have more than 20 students are advised to be moved online. Meanwhile, each (FICS) has the liberty to organize small lectures with less than 20 students in person or online. In case of students or lecturers being in quarantine, the lecture will be switched online in order not to disturb the teaching schedule. However, Practical sessions that involve fieldwork, laboratory work, and placement, etc. shall continue to be held in person whenever it is possible.
End of semester examination
The University of Malta emergency team seemed to relay the responsibility of deciding whether the exams are online or in-person to the respective (FICS). They only indicate that students who miss the exams due to quarantine should be provided with an opportunity for another sit or alternative method of examination on a date that is approximately three weeks from the main sitting. Further information should be sent to the students soon.
1600 Students sign a petition
At the same time, a petition that has been circulating between University of Malta students and parents has reached 1600 signature. The petition started before the email from the emergency team had been sent but it still got 800 new signatures since the email has been sent. The petition asked to switch all lectures and examinations into online settings for the sake of both students’ and lecturers’ health.
To reach this number of signatures in a such short period is a clear indication of what the students think and want from the different FICS and University of Malta administration. This stand is supported by a number of organizations that included both KSU and Moviment Graffitti with the latter stating:
Studenti Graffitti, the student wing of Moviment Graffitti, supports KSU in a call to move exams online. The University’s policy, which states that students in quarantine cannot sit for exams in January, is both unfair and illogical when a safer option is available
The situation is still on going with further update coming our way in the upcoming days. The Third Eye shall continue to cover the students voices and any updates that we get from University of Malta.
You can find a link to the petition here!
For past articles about the current situation click here!
