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Elective student stipends

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My 100 word idea to change Malta
By Dr James Corby

The University of Malta is central to our knowledge economy, and yet it is chronically underfunded. The University performs well despite underfunding, so imagine the heights that could be scaled with more adequate support.
My idea? Scrap the scandalously outmoded stipends system. Instead, make student financial support entirely elective (students decide whether they want support); money is then given to students as an interest-free loan, which they only start to repay once they have graduated and are earning more than a minimum threshold salary. The money saved would be directed into research, postgraduate and postdoctoral initiatives, and infrastructure and technology.

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