Minister of Education Dr. Ismail Shafeeu has stated that projects to construct two more schools in Hulhumale' will begin this year. The new administration initiated a school construction project in Hulhumale' Phase II in December of last year.
Speaking to PSM News, Minister Shafeeu said there are not enough schools in Hulhumale' compared to the growing population. Noting that the government has laid the groundwork for a school to be construction in Phase II, he said that the construction of two additional schools in Hulhumale' will begin this year.
As such, Minister Shafeeu said the government is now in the process of selecting the areas to build the schools, adding that they will be situated in newly populated areas. He also said that number of students to be accepted in the schools will be determined once the areas are finalized. He added that the ministry is also determining which grades to teach in the schools.
Additionally, Minister Shafeeu said that strong policies have been established to accommodate students in schools through the online portal. He noted the challenges in accommodating students in certain grades due to the changing population in the Greater Male' Region and said that more schools will be built in Hulhumale' to solves these issues. He added that Phase II will be given priority and that plans are being formulated to build schools in Phase III once residents begin moving in.
Furthermore, Minister Shafeeu said the government's policy is to convert as many schools as possible to single sessions. However, he said there are challenging in converting some schools to single sessions classes but that establishing urban centres in different parts of the country would reduce the number of people moving to the Greater Male' Region.
Currently, one school in Hulhumale' Phase II teach from grades 1 to 10, which is Salahuddin School. However, the growing residential population has resulted in many students being unable to be accepted into the school and having to go to schools in Phase I or Male' City. To address this issue, the government has begun the construction of a school in the area where the Hiyaa towers in Phase II is located. The school will teach classes from grades 1 to 10 and will have the capacity to accommodate 1,700 students.