Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan has stated the Higher Education Act will help to produce a generation of skilled and trained local youth for the employment market.
Speaking at the Parliamentary Committee on National Development and Heritage regarding the higher education bill, the minister said the main objective of the bill is to set the legal framework for the standards and policies to be implemented in providing higher education and training opportunities in the Maldives. The minister said the bill will help increase public confidence in the higher education system of the country, and enhance the employment market by training skilled individuals across a wide range of fields. He added the bill will also provide security for the investments made by private parties in the higher education sector, and facilitate the establishment of private universities.
Responding to questions on whether the bill will reduce state expenditure, the higher education minister said matters related to education cannot be valued in financial terms. He added the true benefits of the bill will be visible in the long term.
Explaining the decision to include the establishment of a trust fund as part of the bill, the minister said the aim of providing a legal status for such a fund is to establish a revolving fund for student loans. He said establishing a legally empowered fund will also help to draw donations from individuals interested in developing the higher education sector.
The bill also includes the process of registering and operating higher educational institutions in the Maldives as well as ways of ensuring a certain standard of quality is maintained in these institutions. In this regard, the bill stipulates Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA) and TVET Authority, as well as the proposed establishment of the Research Council, to be operated as independent institutions.