Embarrassment as Malta fails to reach European higher-education standards

Malta’s regulator for accrediting higher educational institutions, including universities, has failed twice in its application to join the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education  (EQAR).

The application even failed the appeals process, which means it failed to meet European standards – information that was not disclosed by the Education Ministry, led by Minister Clifton Grima.

EQAR’s damning report was based on a comprehensive review of the operations of the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA).

It concluded that Malta’s regulatory body did not adhere to the highest standards for European educational accreditation.

The report highlighted several issues, including a lack of transparency, excessive dependence on government intervention, and inadequate checks and balances before accrediting higher education institutions.

Additionally, the report indicated that the MFHEA failed to properly follow up on the conditions at institutions after they had been granted accreditation.

The review also revealed that, rather than employing external experts to evaluate whether applicants for higher education programmes and institutions met the necessary criteria for accreditation, MFHEA officials relied solely on desktop reviews, which left much to be desired.

“The Committee noted the panel’s concerns on a number of shortcomings related to the programme and provider accreditation procedures, such as short application forms instead of self-evaluation reports for some procedures, no site visits and lack of consistent follow-up,” the report noted.

The European review criticised the management of the MFHEA, highlighting a clear lack of independence from government:

“The Register Committee expressed concerns that the agency’s organisational independence is limited due to its strong ties and dependency on the government. This issue is exacerbated by the small size of the higher education system.”

Additionally, the review pointed out that all members of the regulator’s board are appointed by either the Prime Minister or the Education Minister.

Furthermore, there was no distinction between the Quality Assurance Committee and the board, rendering the situation unacceptable according to European standards.

The Shift has learned that EQAR’s rejection surprised the Maltese regulator. The application was submitted and pushed by CEO Rose Anne Cuschieri, who has been spending public funds to acquire positive reviews in magazines despite her poor performance.

She has not answered questions from The Shift, including whether she intended to take responsibility for the embarrassment faced by Malta’s accreditation regulator.

The MFHEA is chaired by lawyer Edward Woods, who the government appointed in February 2023.

The Shift understands that certain controversial decisions made by the MFHEA in recent years may have harmed its reputation internationally.

Among these decisions was the American University of Malta (AUM) accreditation, which has been criticised for lacking a credible educational background.

Additionally, there was the recent controversial issue of a temporary licence to the International European University (IEU), a Ukrainian institution based in Gzira. The MFHEA received numerous complaints from students alleging that the IEU was a scam, but it chose to renew the university’s licence.