On Thursday the 15th of September, the GUG Executive were invited to a meeting at the Ta Cenc Hotel with Labour MP, Dr Anton Refalo, to discuss life at University for Gozitan students among many other issues.

Dr Refalo said how much he appreciated the work of the organisation and that it should be recognised not only as a pressure group but also that it should be given a say in the country’s affairs.

When the issue of taking exams in Gozo was discussed, GUG said that this would make life much easier for those students who opt to sit for their exams in Gozo, Dr Refalo agreed entirely and added that there was also the possibility of having full time courses at the University of Gozo. GUG President, Ryan Mercieca, added strength to this idea by proposing new and different courses at the University of Gozo in order to attract Maltese and foreign students to our island.

The meeting continued with the discussion of the transport and accommodation problem experienced by Gozitan students. GUG said it is continuously trying to coordinate with Arriva to plan better timetables that complement the lives of Gozitan students and is also trying to work on establishing a direct route from Cirkewwa to Msida.

Dr Anton Refalo and the GUG Executive also both agreed on the need for a Regional Council for Gozo and a Gozo Tourism Authority which are autonomous and can help improve the economic and environmental sphere of Gozo.

Dr Refalo then turned to the subject of Eco-Gozo, which he said he believes is good and is here to stay. He also encouraged GUG to promote Eco-Gozo and educate fellow students who may not understand what this entails. GUG said it is already planning to introduce Eco-Gozo on Campus at the University of Malta, with the main aim of educating both Maltese and Gozitan students.

The permanent link was also discussed with Dr Refalo, who said that studies need to be carried out for the improvement of accessibility to Gozo and to further improve the efficiency of Gozo Channel and that new measures should be introduced. The GUG executive suggested that such new measures should be priority boarding for Gozitan people and that all the possibilities for accessibility to Gozo should be explored, especially the direct connection of the island of Gozo to the rest of Europe and the world.

The GUG executive concluded by saying that it is absolutely false that Gozitan youths and students are in favour of the tunnel.

Permalink: Gozo University Group meets Labour MP Dr Anton Refalo