Minister of Education Dr. Ismail Shafeeu has announced that concept design of the new Arabiyya School building is being drafted.
Speaking to PSM News, Minister Shafeeu acknowledged the challenges facing Arabiyya School and highlighted that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's manifesto emphasised the need for a building to address the issues faced by the school. He also disclosed that the conceptualisation phase for the new Arabiyya School building is underway on the designated land at Plot 381 in Male' City, formerly a waste collection centre. He said that fieldwork will commence before the end of Week-14.
Additionally, Minister Shafeeu said that the government decided not to construct the new Arabiyya School at the old Jamaluddin School land plot due to its narrow surrounding roads, which would result in traffic congestion. He said that area would be allocated for the construction of Jamaluddin School hall and a park instead.
Furthermore, Minister Shafeeu outlined reforms to the current education system at Arabiyya School, stating that Maldivian teachers would be trained to instruct in the Arabic language, replacing foreign teachers in secondary classes. He said that the decision was made in collaboration with foreign countries, aiming to train an adequate number of Arabic teachers within a four-year period. He also expressed confidence that this teacher training initiative would expand Arabic education opportunities in the Maldives.
Arabiyya School has a history of being relocated and there have been previous attempts to address the challenges faced by the school. The previous government had planned to build the school on the land plot that had housed the old Jamaluddin School building, but fieldwork had not commenced.