President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has met with the outgoing Chancellor of the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM), Dr Mohamed Zahir Hussain, expressing profound appreciation for his decades of distinguished service to the nation and his enduring contributions to the education landscape of the country.
The meeting took place at the President’s Office, where the President paid tribute to Dr Zahir Hussain’s immeasurable role in shaping and advancing the country’s education system. He commended the outgoing Chancellor for his leadership in spearheading the Government’s landmark Basic Education Programme, as well as his instrumental efforts in establishing community schools and atoll education centres across the Maldives.
The President also acknowledged Dr Zahir Hussain’s commitment to fostering public awareness on the importance of education.
Dr Zahir Hussain, for his part, described his tenure as Chancellor of the Islamic University of Maldives as a distinct honour. He expressed his gratitude to the President for the confidence placed in him and praised the administration’s ongoing initiatives to strengthen and improve the quality of education nationwide.
In recognition of his exemplary service to the State, the President presented Dr Zahir Hussain with a letter of appreciation. The letter highlighted his pivotal contributions to expanding higher education in the Maldives, both during his leadership at the Islamic University of Maldives and previously as Chancellor of the Maldives National University.
The President further undersccountry andr Hussain’s more than a decade of service as Minister of Education, crediting him with modernising and reinforcing the national education system, embedding Maldivian values within curriculum development, expanding Arabic and Islamic education across the country, and implementing the transformative Basic Education Programme.
Dr Mohamed Zahir Hussain has devoted nearly five decades. 49 years and nine months of service to be exact to the State, including more than 33 years in the education sector alone. In recognition of his distinguished record, he was conferred the Order of Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin in 2008 and, more recently, received the Highest Honour for Service to Maldivian Education on Republic Day 2024.