The educational system of the University of Malta : Italian influence and pedagogic projects

Abstract

The study of the origins and development of Universities is important because it shows how these Medieval institutions to a large extent shaped and organized a new culture. The history and traditions of universities, their very creation, but, most of all their development from an organizational and teaching perspective are the starting point, in this specific research field, to determine the educational context and the cultural function performed by universities during the eighteenth century. The innumerable essays and studies relating to the structure and the cultural function of European universities are rich and fruitful, whereas their pedagogic and educational issues seem to be neglected. This research will focus on this particular sphere. Education becomes an element of "individual and collective growth", as it is connected with the currents of thought responsible for its development 1 . We shall focus mainly on the development and supplementing of national and foreign educational projects which contributed to the cultural evolution of the Maltese society by performing an essential task in preventing the interruption of historical continuity. Accordingly, attention will focus on the origin of the Maltese university system, clearly derived from its religious background and modelled on Italian educational patterns. Thus it is better to make clear that in these remarks on education and its related activities, it is important to consider the political and social context of the European universities at the end of 1700.