He robbed the university to pay Barts – Kevin Cassar
Joseph Muscat is at it again – declaring his own greatness. “There were many who told us that it was impossible when we proposed a foreign university in Gozo,” he said, referring to the Barts medical school. “Nobody can undo this success,” he boasted, pretending to congratulate the first batch of Barts graduates – but actually congratulating himself.
What success? The Maltese taxpayer pays €1.2 million a year to finance Barts. And this for 30 years. That “success” cost Malta €36 million.
When the Vitals failed to build their campus on time, the Malta Enterprise took over the sixth form in Gozo and arranged it for the use of Barts. Gozitan students were evicted from their building and the taxpayer paid for the privilege and renovation.
A small Gozo hospital is barely enough to provide comprehensive training for medical students. The truth is that Barts students only go through part of their training in Gozo.
The rest, particularly clinical teaching, takes place in Malta, where Barts students compete with University of Malta medical students for clinical placements and teaching.
Perhaps Muscat can answer one simple question about his “success”. How many of the few Barts medical graduates have joined the Maltese health service? How many of them contributed at least a day, even an hour to treat Maltese patients?
The answer is nothing. None of those graduates contributed a single minute to serving Maltese patients.
None of them used their clinical skills to give something back to their host country, Malta. Much less to their host island, Gozo.
Millions of our money Muscat wasted on his vanity project, he did not give Malta any return.
Since 2016, Malta has paid €7.2 million to finance Barts. In return, the Maltese health service did not see a single minute of service from any Barts graduate. A few Gozitans could have made a few hundred euros renting rooms to those students. Some Gozitan restaurants may have sold a few pizzas. Lidl in Gozo has probably marginally increased its sales.
However, Labor continues to put €1.2 million a year into a small foreign medical school in Gozo which has contributed nothing to the local health workers.
Labor is cutting €1.1 million in funds for the entire University of Malta – all 14 faculties. Barts runs a small medical school – not even a full faculty – that produces a small number of graduates, but benefits from €1.2 million in public funds.
More than 3,500 students graduate from the University of Malta. The vast majority contribute actively and directly to our society. Most of our university graduates join the local workforce, providing essential services and contributing to the local economy. However, Labor decided to withdraw their funding. Labor is robbing our university to pay Barts.
This can hardly be considered a “success” – it looks more like another dismal failure to add to Muscat’s legacy.
Labour’s excuse for reducing the University of Malta’s funds is the current economic climate.
Malta is not the only country affected by world events. So is France. However, President Macron has just announced €500 million in additional funds for the education of his country.
Millions of our money Joseph Muscat wasted on his vanity project did not give Malta any return– Kevin Cassar
At the traditional back-to-school meeting of education officials at a Parisian university, Macron’s announcement was met with a standing ovation. Macron wanted to reaffirm that education is at the heart of his second mandate.
Despite “the end of abundance”, Macron is determined that education will not suffer. In addition to the injection of €500 million he also confirmed an unconditional increase of 10 percent in wages for the entire teaching profession.
There are additional pay increases for teachers who take on additional roles such as supporting students in difficulty or supervising extracurricular activities. This increases teachers’ salaries by 20 percent.
Robert Abela could not be more different. Abela now turns on his people. Cynically, he is cutting funding from the only ray of hope for the country – our university.
Why make cuts in education of all things? Because Clifton Grima, the education minister, is an easy target, as he is one of the weakest members of the cabinet?
Abela knows that Grima will not oppose him or resist. Grima would rather kiss his leader’s butt and secure his own future than protect the prospects of our future generations. The only factor in his calculation is how to improve his chances of keeping his portfolio and possibly getting a more prominent role in future cabinets.
In addition, Grima knows that other ministries will also be affected. They probably already are – it’s just that we haven’t heard because no one has released the memo yet.
Abela still boasts of his economic successes, the unprecedented growth of 8.5%. The truth is that it accumulated a deficit of €225 million until June. The national debt is rapidly falling towards the €9 billion mark.
Labor massacred the Gonzi administration for being put into excessive deficit procedures. But the Labor deficit by the end of 2021 was eight percent of GDP – much higher than the three percent allowed by EU rules.
The only reason why Malta has not returned to excessive deficit procedures is because those rules have been suspended due to COVID-19.
Labor now has no choice. You cannot continue to raise the debt. They are desperate to cut spending. They cannot dismiss the hordes of trusted persons they have appointed. They cannot entice the 1,200 people on the GWU scheme out of work to transfer to the private sector and do work properly. They can’t stop dropping those shameless direct orders to the founders of her parties.
That money is his pizzo – protection money – protection to stay in power and continue to provide impunity for all those involved in abuse of power, flagrant corruption and misuse of public funds. Nor can they cut funds to Barts or Steward.
As Steward makes a €6 million profit from our taxes, Barts benefits from €1.2 million of annual public funding, Joseph Portelli sells state concrete from his illegal batching plant on public land, and Ian Borg buys the silk ties from Charles and Ron, it is our future generations that are penalized, our university that is blocked. It is the future of our country that is destroyed.
But Barts is a success. And Joseph is serene.
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