Islamic University of the Maldives (IUM) has held its 6th International Conference on Intellectual Advancement (ICIA).
ICIA is an annual conference organised by the Center for Research and Publication of the IUM to bring together researchers, students, and policymakers for discussions, and exchange of ideas on creating communities through the exchange of knowledge. The conference was inaugurated by Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan.
In his speech, Minister Hassan said participants should take ICIA as a stepping stone for their future and advised them to keep exchanging knowledge and building learning communities through collaborations. Highlighting the importance of research, the minister said it is not merely a learning activity in colleges and universities and that more precedence should be given to research. He said well-grounded research will help shape policy and bring about positive sustainable changes to the education systems, economies, democracies, and livelihoods.
Furthermore, a total of 44 research papers related to education, the economy, and COVID-19 were presented at the ICIA forum. IUM stated more research papers relating to changes in education following the pandemic as well as difficulties faced by frontline workers will be presented during the two-day conference.
ICIA has been held in the Maldives since 2016 and was known as International Conference on Islamic Awakening for the first three years. However, the conference was rebranded as International Conference on Intellectual Advancement in 2019.