How Students Will Be Impacted

The Stipend Conundrum

Students all over the country are rejoicing as the government announced another increase in stipend, this time based on the cost-of-living adjustment. However, SDM was quick to point out that the reason Junior College has started offering four year courses is because students cannot live on the stipend alone and many of them already have a job.

Although SDM appreciates the increase in student stipend, that of one euro every week, four euros every month and fifty euro every year, we would like to point out that it is still not enough for a typical student to keep up with all scholastic and daily needs.

SDM urges the government to revisit the stipend situation and make the necessary changes.

Furthermore, KNŻ raised the matter that the same stipend that applies for full-time students should also apply for part-time students.

The Forgotten Land Of Gozo

SDM and KSU identified the lack of proposals in place for Gozitan students. While the government will provide first time buyers with a €10K grant, KSU and SDM both expressed the lack of consideration towards Gozitan students.

KSU hopes that more initiatives are introduced with a specific focus given to renting students, more importantly, Gozitans.

Issues such as commutes, rentals, and further investment in the Gozo Campus should be prioritised considerably throughout 2023.

The Every Morning Traffic Headache

Everyone dreads the morning commute due to the excessive amount of traffic one encounters on the road. However, mornings are even harder on students who have to catch a bus to University of their respective schools. While public transport is already free, the government is discussing the possibility of limiting certain vehicles from being on the road during rush hour, in hopes of reducing traffic.

Encouraging Students To Study Abroad

KSU’s statement continued with praising the government for their initiative of strengthening current tax credit and scholarship programs have been strengthened for students who want to pursue post-graduate courses overseas.

To guarantee that as many students as possible are aware of these subsidies, KSU proposes more education and informational resources are given to students.

A New ITS Campus Is Set To Emerge

In a pre-budget meeting with representatives from the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced excavation work will soon start on the site of the Institute of Tourism Studies’ (ITS) new campus in Smart City.

The new campus will include classrooms, offices, a library, cafeteria, and auditorium. The campus will also have added facilities, such as, five incubation centres, a wine cellar, three restaurants with connected kitchens, culinary science labs, a bakery, and student housing.

A day-care centre, ancillary stores, and two levels of subterranean parking are included among the additional amenities. Additionally, a basketball court will be built.

Concluding Thoughts

While the 2023 budget mentions important points and initiatives the government plans on taking, student organisations believe that more discussions need to be held regarding students and how they can benefit from these plans

For KSU’s full statement click here.

For SDM’s full statement click here.

For KNZ’s full statement click here.

The post The 2023 Budget: The Good, The Bad, And The Student Organisations’ Reactions appeared first on The Third Eye.

Almost all of us have had to work a job just to keep up with our social and personal lives. We get so into this fast-paced way of life, that we don’t always realise that there are ways for us to save more money.

1) Make your coffee at home

Instead of buying a coffee every single day, take that little extra time in the morning to make your own delicious coffee. A cup of coffee every day for a whole month may cost you up to 65 euro…just think of how you could use that money.

2) Use public transport

A lot of students rather use their own car to get to university but to most students, public transport could be the solution to never finding parking. Nobody loves to wake up at 5.30-6.00 AM just to find parking and then having to wait for another 2 or 3 hours for a lecture to begin. Do yourself and the environment a favour, and make use of public transport.

3) Make your own lunch

During a busy day of lectures, one is surely to get hungry. Now while the university has multiple options for the student to buy food, sometimes you might be in a rut where you simply cannot afford that slice of pizza or that plate of pasta because you need to pay your insurance or get something fixed in your car. Prep your lunch the night before or that morning instead of buying food every day.

4) Sell your used textbooks

One way you could make a little..emphasis on little, extra cash is by selling your used books. You’ll earn some more money while freeing up space in your room. Try out the Facebook marketplace to find lurking potential buyers. All the variations of the ‘Min Ipartat u Min Ibigh’ Facebook groups will become your best friends in this endeavour.

5) FREEBIES

Freshers’ week has a bunch of student organisations and companies that provide students with useful things such as tote bags, metal straws, stationery, reusable bottles and cups, food and drinks! Stay tuned for this week’s article on the top organisations’ freebies from Freshers’ Week 2019!

Keep in mind that this struggle only lasts a couple of years until you graduate. In the meantime, keep on keepin’ on.

The post The Official Guide for the Broke Student appeared first on The Third Eye.

The Kunsill Studenti Universitarji continuously strives to represent and protect the rights and
entitlements of the entire student body. Thus, the scope of this post-budget report is to elicit the
most relevant aspects which directly impact the students and present recommendations to further
improve the selected proposals.

Welfare

Cost of living

Malta is continuously proving to have a stable economy year after year and thus, this can be
reflected in an increase of 2.33 EUR in the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 2019. Such an
increase, in turn, shall also have a positive effect on the students’ stipends throughout the year.

Taxes

The VAT rate which to date, has been linked to books and anything related to DVDs, SD cards or
USBs, being that of 5%, has now also been extended to books, newspapers as well as electronic
publications. The council applauds such a lowered VAT rate since this will most definitely leave a
positive impact on the personal finances of the students with respect to their daily university
expenses.

Minimum Wage

Continuing with last year’s budget, employees falling within the minimum wage bracket in 2017
were able to benefit from a 3 EUR weekly increment during 2018, being their second year of
employment. In 2019, being their third year of employment, they will also get to benefit from an
additional weekly 3 EUR increment. This measure continues to be an impactful one, particularly
for the students, due to the fact that most University and post-secondary students’ wage fall within
this minimum wage bracket.

Infrastructure

Road Works

This year, the government shall be allocating 100,000,000 EUR towards road works. The Kunsill
Studenti Universitarji applauds such an investment whilst stressing the importance of keeping in
mind bicycle users given recent events. Hence, the Council would like to urge the government to
ensure maximum safety for bicycle users whilst implementing any projects they have in mind
related to road works.

Green Areas

The government will be allocating €1,000,000 towards the creation and maintenance of
new green areas. In fact, Infrastructure Malta is going to initiate a programme related to
Urban Gardens for such a purpose. The Council commends such an investment and urges
the government to work towards a greener environment.

Parking Spaces

The government aims at introducing new schemes to encourage developers to create new
parking spaces, especially in urban areas, by also making use of modern technology; such
as mobile apps and electronic signs indicating the available spaces. The Council suggests
that the government should still shift its focus towards carpooling and other green
initiatives.

Education

Revision of Course Classification of all Licensed Educational Institutes

The government promised the revision of the classification of courses offered by all licensed
educational institutes, namely the University of Malta and MCAST. The aim of such an initiative is
to incentivise students to opt for courses that the industry needs. KSU would like further clarification
on this particular proposal.

Regional Youthwork Service to Offer Informal Civic Education in Schools

The government aims at improving the service of regional youthwork by offering informal education
in schools in light of vote 16. The Council applauds the government for offering informal civic
education in schools following the “vote 16”. This proposal falls in line with the Council’s
recommendations issued during the previous term, wherein the following was held:
“As student representatives, we strongly feel that civic education should be tackled meticulously
and with utmost responsibility to ensure the smooth transition of the proposed constitutional
amendments”

Gozo

Accommodation for Gozitan Students

The Ministry for Gozo and ecclesiastical entities are to continue discussing accommodation for
Gozitan students at reasonable rent rates. The government also aims at extending the subsidies
given to those who fall under the Accommodation Scheme for Gozitan students. The Council
urges the government to keep in mind the extra expenses that are borne by Gozitan
students and to continue lessening such a burden.

Park and Ride

The government aims at introducing a Park and Ride projected to address the parking
situation in Mġarr Harbour while also reducing gas emissions in Gozo, hence investing in
the quality of air. KSU applauds such an initiative as it is in line with the Council’s efforts
towards alternative modes of transport and its green agenda.

Transport

Public Transport

A further improvement over and above last year’s offer of free Tal-Linja Cards to youths aged 16
to 20 was seen in this year’s budget. The government held that all full-time students will be eligible
to free public transport. KSU is pleased with such a measure as it ties in with the Council’s efforts
towards alternative modes of transport and its green agenda.

Alternative Measures

This year’s budget has also given focus to alternative measures of transport whereby there have
been proposed measures related to the extension of subsidies with respect to pedelec bikes,
electric bikes as well as scooters. Moreover, the government promised the extension of the grant
on the installation of bicycle racks. KSU applauds such measures as these go directly in line KSU’s
mission statement for the year which merely focuses on sustainability as well as a greener and
cleaner environment.

Health

New Machinery Purchased for the National Blood Bank

The government aims at improving the services offered by the National Blood Bank by purchasing
new machinery. The Kunsill Studenti Universitarji feels strongly about this matter as it is of utmost
importance that the services offered by the National Blood Bank are the best that they can be,
especially in light of the constant need of blood donations.

Voluntary Organisations

The government aims at improving the national strategy for the voluntary sector, thanks to which
more Voluntary Organisations will be tax exempt. Amongst the categories of VOs that will be
exempt, the government mentioned VOs with a yearly income not exceeding €10,000, which will
also be tax exempt. The government raised the point that these VOs need to be registered and in
conformity with the categories recognised by the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations. The
Kunsill Studenti Universitarji applauds the government for taking on such an initiative as it goes
hand in hand with the Council’s aim of encouraging active participation.

Migration

The Government aims to focus on migration issues by ensuring that the influx of irregular
immigrants and human trafficking is controlled, in compliance with the policies based on the
existing European laws, namely the FRONTEX operations. In furtherance to this, a new
strategy is going to be devised with respect to detention services for Irregular Immigrants.
The Council feels strongly about this proposal as this year’s Council is trying to delve into
the matter by identifying the problem and providing a solution thereto after meeting up with
various stakeholders, NGOs, and other entities. Hence, the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji
would like to applaud the government for taking such an initiative into consideration.

Startups

Startups have been blooming within the last few years. In fact, the budget for 2019 has outlined
various aspects which will aid people even more in this regard. In fact, an action plan shall be set
up to help startups flourish in the most effective way possible. Furthermore, there is going to be
the promotion of a seed investment scheme as well as an initiation of an accelerator programme
which shall be in collaboration with an international entity. KSU is delighted to see that students,
who are the future of tomorrow and who wish to venture within the startup scene, are being
encouraged to do so through such proposals.

Concluding Remarks

The Kunsill Studenti Universitarji applauds the Maltese Government for delving into matters that
deserve recognition and importance. The Council urges the government to give due weight to the
student perspective by holding discussions and consultation sessions.

The post The KSU Post Budget Report appeared first on The Third Eye.

This is the GUG‘s rundown of the STUDENT-RELATED initiatives from the 2019 Budget, Maltese and Gozitan alike.

Stipend Increase + Free Public Transport

An increase in students’ stipends is going to benefit all students. This will help cover the expenses that students have in pursuing their education. From next year, 14 and 15 year olds along with full-time students above 20 years old, will enjoy a free public transport. So, students who commute by bus will save more money in this regard. That said, however, ideally the means of public transport would be improved as well to be made more accessible and reliable.

Free Exams

Another major announcement was that MATSEC and SEC exams are to be free, as of next year. This is a major step ahead towards the improvement of the education sector in the Maltese islands. The MATSEC and SEC exams will no longer be a financial toll for some students and their families who find it difficult to pay for these exams.

Increase in Gozitan Students’ Grant

As a Gozitan student organization, GUG believes that an increase in the subsidy given to Gozitan students residing in Malta help to cover some of the expenses incurred, particularly that of accommodation. This is possible under certain conditions. The GUG organization wished to also see more about the Gozo University Campus budget, since it has been a while that a refurbishment was mentioned. If this campus is to be used, the environment needs to be an adequate and suitable one.

The GUG organization thinks that the 2019 Budget has improved the education sector along with the student’s quality of living. Investing in the student’s well-being will also benefit the state in the near future. 

Press Release by GUG 

The post The Budget for Students | GUG appeared first on The Third Eye.