IUM’s 9th International Conference on Intellectual Advancement commences

The ninth edition of the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM)’s International Conference on Intellectual Advancement (ICIA) commenced on Saturday.

The two-day conference was inaugurated by Education Minister Dr. Ismail Shafeeu, who hailed it as a cornerstone for academic dialogue and discovery in the Maldives.

“I’m confident that this conference will inspire innovative ideas, foster new collaborations, and advance our collective understanding of critical global issues,” he said.

During the ceremony, Shafeeu inaugurated IUM’s Postgraduate Lounge, and launched the university’s new journals – International Journal of Emerging Perspectives in Education and International Journal of Emerging Issues in Management, Accounting and Technology.

This year’s conference is being attended by 204 participants, including both local and international. It will see the presentation of 113 research papers. This includes 83 papers in English, 12 in Dhivehi, and 18 in Arabic.

IUM said it also hold more pre-conference workshops than previous years, with total 12 workshops. Each of these workshops attracted over 60 participants.

Three global academics will deliver keynote speeches in three areas at the conference: Dr. Maszlee Malik, the former education minister of Malaysia; Professor Philip Hallinger from the US; and Tichaona Mhererwa from South Africa.

Malik will speak on environmental conservation and sustainability in an Islamic perspective, Hallinger delivered his speech virtually on leading change for sustainability in higher education, and Mhererwa will speak on the use of AI in education.

IUM said that it is holding the ICIA with huge support from universities in Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. 59 parties have travelled to the Maldives to attend the conference.