Minister: Aim to facilitate education and training opportunities irrespective of population

Higher Education Minister Dr. Mariyam Mariya states the current administration’s goal is to facilitate equal education and training opportunities for islands irrespective of how big or small their population is.

The centralization of higher education opportunities is of great concern to individuals residing in the atolls.

In an exclusive interview to Sun this week, Higher Education Minister Mariya noted that many youths earned higher education and training opportunities in their residential islands. Henceforth, she said the current administration is working on facilitating such opportunities, without consideration to the size of the island.

“Even at present, we have commenced courses across many islands in various fields such as electric maintenance, refrigeration and sewing,” she added.

Speaking further, Minister Mariya underscored receiving an abundance of requests for training opportunities in the tourism sector from Maldivian regions where tourism is booming.

With this in mind, she revealed that a ‘Fashion, Design and Tailoring’ course is currently underway in N. Maafaru, in which 20 women from the island are participating.

“Many short-term programs similar to this have been commenced in many islands. They are being carried out in collaboration with Polytechnic,” she said.

“We are working on conducting the programs desired by the residents at the respective island, whether be it small or big in size,” she added.

Minister Mariya cited facilitating education and training opportunities specifically to youths, women and persons with disabilities – in the fields they desire – as the biggest aim of the government in the course of its five-year electoral term.

She detailed that vocational education centres will be established across islands under this policy which would provide easements in the provision of education and training opportunities to islands with scarce population.