Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/826629
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 MAY 2017 6 News No relocation of ITS under PN TIM DIACONO A Nationalist government will abandon plans to relocate the In- stitute of Tourism Studies to Smart City and ensure that it remains in St Julian's. Launching the PN's education proposals at Handaq, PN leader Simon Busuttil said that tourism students deserve to continue re- ceiving their education in St Ju- lian's, "the heart of Malta's tourism industry". He said that he will await the re- sult of an ongoing National Audit Office investigation into the sale of the ITS land to hotelier Silvio Debono before deciding where the school would be sited. If the NAO rules that the land was sold to Debono on the cheap, then a PN government would scrap the deal and leave ITS where it is, while up- grading the school's facilities. If it finds nothing wrong with the deal, then it will seek an alternative site in St Julian's. Busuttil also pledged that a Na- tionalist government would devel- op a secondary school of perform- ing arts. That will provide students with mainstream education with a specific focus on performing arts. This will therefore operate on the same lines as the National Sports School in Pembroke. He also pledged to improve the salaries and work conditions of teachers and LSAs, and ease teach- ers' workload to allow them to fo- cus on teaching. It will also launch a new code of behaviour and dis- cipline for students, improve col- laboration with Church and inde- pendent schools, reverse recent increases in MATSEC exam fees, and ensure that MCAST engineer- ing students are given a warrant as soon as they graduate, just as their university peers. Research budget to be quintupled A PN government will also incen- tivize research – quintupling the research budget from the current 0.6% of Malta's GDP to 5% over five years. It will boost funding for PhD scholarships, raise the Univer- sity's research fund by a further €1 million, and set up a new €5 mil- lion fund dedicated to research in physical, applied and social scienc- es and technology. A law will be passed that will give the University full academic and administrative autonomy, while construction on the Sustainable Living Complex and post-doctoral research centre on campus will be finalised. Studios will be built for the UoM's School of Performing Arts and Institute of Digital Games, the engineering and science faculties will be extended, and the sports facilities on campus will be mod- ernized. To generate private investment in education, a PN government will also offer specific scholarships to Maltese students who enrol in courses in private post-secondary institutions on the island. Outdoors platform permit for Serkin JAMES DEBONO Rabat's most famous pastiz- zi parlour has been granted a permit for a 23 sq.m. plat- form, to be developed along 9m of pavement on the park- ing spaces in front of the es- tablishment. Crystal Palace's (Serkin) platform will make space for four outside tables, but will result in the loss of two park- ing spaces. The application was ap- proved by the Government Property Division but was not recommended by the Nation- al Commission for Persons with Disability. The Planning Authority's case officer how- ever argued that since the platform was flush with the public pavement "accessibil- ity from the outside catering area to the main entrance door of the catering establish- ment is not hindered." The proposal conforms with the Policy, Guidance and Standards for Outdoor Cater- ing Areas on Public Spaces ap- proved last year. Some fame for Serkin came after prime ministers Charles Michel of Belgium, Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg, Miro Cerar of Slovenia, and their partners were hosted by Jo- seph Muscat and his wife Mi- chelle during a Council sum- mit. For PN executive president Ann Fenech however, the pastizzi snack was ill advised and the choice of venue "com- mon and crude". Inundated with criticism on the social media, Fenech later apolo- gised and posted a photo of herself at the snack bar with Freddie Ciangura, father of Crystal Palace owner Ken- neth, eating 'humble' cheese- cake. If the land is found to have been sold to Debono on the cheap a PN government would scrap the deal NOTICE by the Electoral Commission GENERAL ELECTIONS - 3RD JUNE, 2017 NOTICE FOR THE ATTENTION OF ASSISTANT ELECTORAL COMMISSIONERS The Electoral Commission reminds those persons registered in Malta selected as Assistant Electoral Commissioners that the briefing session they have been assigned to attend is being held at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre (MFCC) in Ta' Qali. OFFICE OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION Evans Building, Merchants Street, Il-Belt Valletta, Malta www.electoral.gov.mt COURT NOTICE The Registrar, Civil Courts and Tribunals notifies that the First Hall of the Civil Court ordered the sale by Judicial Auction of the following property to be held in the corridors of the Courts of Justice, Republic Street, Valletta. Date Time Judicial Sale No Property 25th May 2017 12.00pm 15/15 Michael Attard Limited C32362 vs Anthony Vassallo et (ID 825847M) Quarter of an undivided share of a two floor corner house with entrance in Triq Ġorg Borg Olivier Rabat. The share is valued at €38,750. Garage known as 'Antoine Garage' with two accesses in Triq San Trofimu and Triq Nutar Francesco Catania, Rabat subject to an annual and perpetual ground rent of € 2.33 valued at € 135,000. First fl oor maisonette in Triq Hal Tartani, Rabat subject to an annual and perpetual ground rent of € 2.33 valued at € 220,000. Further details can be obtained from the website: http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/courtservices/JudicialSales/search.aspx The bidders taking part in the auction must present their identity card. Rudolph Marmara' For the Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals An aerial view of the ITS site in St Julian's