Ombudsman’s office says education qualifications board ‘not functioning since January’

The Ombudsman’s Office has called on the government to take immediate action to ensure the body authorised to recognise academic qualifications was equipped to serve its purpose, noting it had not been functioning since January.

In a statement, the Education Commissioner said the issue had come to his attention after a third country national regularly working in Malta sought to appeal an assessment of the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC).

MQRIC provides recognition and comparability of both academic and vocational qualifications, using both the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) to provide recognition advice on both national and international qualifications.

The recognition is important for those seeking to pursue further studies, apply for a job or a promotion, qualification allowance, tax rebate, scholarship schemes, a single permit/visa/citizenship with Jobsplus, among others. ​​

The Education Commissioner’s Final Opinion issued in May recommended that the MQRIC Appeals Board should be “constituted in such a way that it can commence to function forthwith so as to give concrete substance to the right of appeal” of persons seeking a revision of the original assessment”.

The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman was then informed that the process of appointing new board members was already underway to ensure an effective appeals remedy.

Yet the Education Commissioner said on Monday that it seemed that “up to last week, only the Secretary of the Appeals Board had been appointed.”