In top colleges, selection is tough not just for prospective students but also for professors and thesis-directors. One can’t secure a chair unless a long academic and professional career justifies their appointment. The Maltese University’s philosophy seems to be ‘everyone can teach’ and ‘everyone can teach anything’! Not only does one come across members of staff with poor CVs, but also decent staff who are pretty much in a situation where they have to teach areas where they feel out of their depth. Change of direction in Maltese higher education is vital although under PL rule this is pie in the sky.

The Maltese do not have a clue how competitive the entrance process for top European colleges is.

It’s always “Mr…” or obviously Ms.. Mrs whatever in the UK.

A-Levels are no indication, agreed. They are however useful in that at least, they serve the purpose of building some foundation, particularly in languages. If this is not possible, the student fails the A-Levels and cannot therefore apply for a course where the correct use and command of Maltese and English (primarily) are essential to their practice.

There is a solution to the problem you mention. Just because there is only one local university, it doesn’t mean that everyone HAS to be accepted. A system can be developed which incorporates the interview procedure, thus ensuring that it is not only those who are academically capable that are accepted, but you would also need to show that as “a whole” you deserve to be given the possibility to pursue your studies.

If anything, it is the likes of Joseph Muscat and (even more) Edward Scicluna that deserve to be called Dr (or Prof. in the case of the latter), and not vice versa, as both have a PhD to their name.

In some countries, such as Germany, you are only allowed to use Dr if you have a doctoral level degree such as a PhD.

In other countries, such as Italy, Dott. is used to denote someone with a bachelor’s degree, which is then distinguished by saying someone has a dottorato magistrale (master’s) or a dottorato di ricerca (PhD).

Malta’s LLD has more in common with a Master’s degree (the first year of “LLD” study is actually the notarial diploma), so much so that the University of Malta does not confer “LLM” degrees but MAs in law.

It is about time that Malta aligned itself with countries like Britain and restricted the use of Dr to medical doctors and those who have successfully completed a doctoral course, and stop allowing those with the bogus doctorate that is the LLD to con us into thinking they’re smarter than they really are.

In any case, one really has to question how and why Joseph Muscat got a PhD. He did it while supposedly serving as an MEP, finished in three years (whereas a good number of FULL TIME PhD students only finish it over four), and then proceeded to never do anything again about his thesis – no papers published, no conferences, nothing. I guess having an MEP and prime minister graduating from Bristol Uni is better PR for them than them failing him for plagiarism.

You’re right of course. I just used the wrong example. The president of the US is the President of the US; very difficult to find a higher qualification.

What I meant was that only the relevant degree should be listed. If a doctor writes an article about plants, we don’t need to know that he owns an M.D. The author should be simply listed as Joe Borg or whatever.

It’s “Kompanju tal-Unur tal-Ordni tal-Mertu” or Companion of Honour of the Order of Merit, which every PM gets automatically as a result of being head of government.

Oh dear. You’ve opened a forty-five gallon can of worms there.

It’s a language problem. The translation of “Sir” in Maltese, which would be the polite form of address, is “Sinjur”. But it sounds so artificial that it grates, so no one uses it. Yes, “Sur Avukat” is the pits, but it’s easier on the Maltese tongue and psyche since it avoids the use of “Sinjur”, which was only applied the gentlemen before the onset of this ghastly equality for all, and the Mintoffianisation and Arabisation of Malta.

The Russians have the same problem with “господин”, for exactly the same historical reason.