Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/455578
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 FEBRUARY 2015 6 News Lawyers from Balzan, engineers from Zabbar JAMES DEBONO WHILE affluent northern and cen- tral localities still prevail among the traditional professions, most new engineers hail from southern locali- ties, according to statistics on stu- dents graduating last year, which were presented in parliament. Tiny Balzan, which numbers less than 1% of the Maltese population, accounts for 5.4% of newly gradu- ated doctors and 7% of new lawyers. While six students graduating as doctors of medicine hailed from Bal- zan, only five were from Malta's larg- est town nearby, Birkirkara. Moreo- ver while seven students from Balzan were awarded a doctorate in law only one of last year's 95 newly graduated lawyers were from Birkirkara. But when it comes to engineering it is southern localities, which emerge on top. Seven (10%) of the 72 students who were awarded a bachelorhood in engineering came from Zabbar, fol- lowed by five students from Zurrieq and Zebbug. The statistics show that Attard is one of the best places to live to se- cure a good education for your chil- dren: Attard can boast of six new doctors of medicine, 12 bachelors of commerce, eight new bachelors of law, four bachelors in engineering and architecture, five new notaries public, three engineers and five new teachers. Marsaskala – one of Malta's young- est towns – also fares relatively well, accounting for five new surgeons, six new bachelors of law, four new no- taries public, two teachers and two engineers. This could reflect the varied class composition of the southern seaside town. The statistics show that the north south educational divide is not re- flected among recruits for the teach- ing profession. While northern Mosta, which is also Malta's second largest town, tops the list with 15 new teachers, it is followed by San Gwann (10), Zurrieq (8), Naxxar (8), Fgura (7) and Birzebbugia (6). Significantly 20 of those awarded a bachelorhood in education hailed from Gozo, which accounts for 12% of the total number of new teachers. Gozo, which accounts for 7% of the population, accounted for 7% of new doctors of medicine, 10% of bach- elors of law, 4% of doctors of law and 11% of new engineers. Graduates from the Faculty of Arts tend to reflect the country's demo- graphics, with most new graduands hailing from Mosta and Birkirkara, which are the country's largest towns. Despite Piano objections, heading for approval JAMES DEBONO A bronze monument depicting four knights in full armour, which is being proposed at City Gate, looks set to be approved in spite of the contrary opinion of a heritage advisory body and of the Renzo Piano Workshop. The favourable verdict was ex- pressed by the Planning Directorate, which is advising the Malta Envi- ronment and Planning Authority to approve the monument. The di- rectorate deems the monument as respecting "the contemporary archi- tecture and character of the area". But the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee, which serves as an advi- sory panel for the MEPA, has object- ed "to any addition of monuments to the site" that do not form part of the permit granted for the Piano project. The bronze monument will be placed along the wall between the stairs just inside City Gate and the government housing block and will project 50 centimetres from the wall. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has not formally objected to the project though it pointed out that it should not impact on "the ar- chitectural values of the City Gate project". It also insisted that the monument should be reversible. The case officer insists that this condition is being respected because the monument will not be attached to the ground but will be "held down by gravity". Speaking to MaltaToday in Sep- tember 2014, Antonio Belvedere of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop insisted that the entrance to Valletta should be kept pristine. "It is not at all a matter of the style and aesthetics of the sculpture, even less a matter of cohesiveness with our design. It is just a matter of mag- nitude of the events," Belvedere, who Doctor of Medicine and Surgery – Total 112 Msida 8 Attard 6 Balzan 6 Iklin 6 San Gwann 6 Sliema 6 Bachelor of Law – Total 132 Sliema 9 Naxxar 9 Swieqi 9 Attard 8 Marsaskala 6 Diploma Notary Public – Total 145 Swieqi 12 Naxxar 10 Mosta 9 San Gwann 7 Attard 5 Doctor of Law – Total 95 Balzan 7 Mosta 7 Naxxar 7 Marsaskala 6 Attard 5 Bachelor of Engineering – 72 Zabbar 7 Zebbug 5 Zurrieq 5 Mosta 5 Qormi 4 Bachelor of Education – Total 171 Mosta 15 San Gwann 10 Zurrieq 8 Naxxar 8 Fgura 7 Bachelor of Commerce – Total 230* Mosta 21 Attard 12 San Gwann 15 Birkirkara 11 St Julian 7 *includes students awarded an honours degree Bachelor of Arts (Honours) – Total 177 Mosta 9 Birkirkara 8 Qormi 7 Zebbug 7 Tarxien 6 Top five localities new graduates hailed from Renzo Piano