Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has stated education is the most powerful means to eradicate poverty and the most effective tool to unleash the potential for growth and development in South Asia.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Third SAARC Education/Higher Education Ministers Meeting, the foreign minister noted Maldives is a country where education thrives and where seeking knowledge is a priority, from the young child to the elderly adult.
The minister said the administration in Maldives places the utmost importance on the provision of education. Shahid said the administration believes education is essential to attain the knowledge and skill sets to fully participate and contribute to the economic and social development. He said inclusive education policies that start from primary school age and equal opportunities for girls and boys have resulted in over 98 percent of school enrolment.
The minister noted the administration has already fulfilled a number of pledges to improve the education sector in the country. In this regard, he noted policies including free education until first degree at university, increasing the number of scholarships and facilitating low interest student loans for higher education, as well as increased emphasis on vocational education. He added Maldives, as a country with a young population, will continue to invest heavily in the academic future of the children and youth, adding the island nation hopes to contribute to change the status quo of the region.
Before concluding his remarks, the foreign minister also called upon the SAARC member states to become more dynamic, more forward-looking and strategic, for the advancement of its people. The minister said a new dawn for the development of South Asia is not only desirable, but a necessity, adding it is also attainable. He said it is time for SAARC member states to embrace the concept of regionalism fully and irrevocably.
The ceremony was attended by the cabinet ministers, ministers, and ministerial level officials of the Government of Maldives and SAARC member states and the Secretary-General of SAARC.
The Third SAARC Education/Higher Education Ministers Meeting will take place from October 9-10 at Crossroads Maldives.