Audit reveals pitiful situation at Gzira ‘International University’ – Lecturers struggled to understand English

An independent audit, commissioned following a surge of complaints about a Malta-licensed International European University (IEU) not meeting expected standards, confirmed that the higher education institution was failing to provide quality education and had not met almost all the required standards.

The recent audit that resulted in the revocation of the University’s operating license has left many students stranded. This situation raises concerns about the role of the Maltese authorities, particularly the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA), and negatively affects Malta’s reputation as an international hub for higher education.

Conducted last November by a panel of independent experts, the audit revealed a significant number of deficiencies, with the IEU failing to meet nine out of eleven standards, encompassing both academic and administrative aspects.

These failures ranged from quality management, good governance, integrity, learning resources and facilities, teaching and assessment.

In their damning report, the panel found that despite supposedly being an international university, most of the academic staff and administrators “struggled to understand basic English”, did not even know what the University’s mission was and were recruited through their contacts with the top echelons of the University rather than on merit and qualifications.

“Many staff struggled to understand questions or answer them”, the panel noted in their audit.

“The lack of a shared understanding of the mission across the academic community indicated insufficient communication and engagement efforts,” the audit concludes.

“Many staff concerned with internationalisation struggled to understand or speak English”, the panel found.

Established in Ukraine in 2019, the IEU states that it offers several degree courses, including in medicine and dentistry, which are, however, not recognised in the EU.

Sources told The Shift that the cost of the courses taught in the Malta campus was so low, compared to similar courses in reputable universities, that the MFHEA authorities should have never accepted them, as they cheapen the country’s reputation.

The IEU received an operating license to start functioning in Malta in 2023, based on the need for the Ukrainian institution to continue its courses, which the war with Russia had disrupted.

The University had already faced significant challenges in Poland, where it initially relocated its operations. The public prosecutor in Poznan launched an investigation after receiving reports indicating that the University and its administrators might have engaged in fraudulent activities.

Despite this troubling background, the Maltese authorities overlooked these concerns and granted the University a temporary license to begin operating from rented premises in Gzira.

In the past two years, numerous students have reported feeling defrauded by the University, especially after paying substantial admission fees.

Still, in 2024, the MFHEA reissued the IEU another temporary licence.

As the media continued to report stories of students being cheated, the MHFEA last month announced that it had revoked the IEU’s operating licence.