Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan has revealed junior colleges will be established by 2023 in the Maldives.
Responding to questions at the Parliament of the Maldives, Minister Hassan said the efforts to establish junior colleges have been delayed in order to contract one company for the entire project. He said administrative work for the project is ongoing in order to make final preparations such as determining the exact costs, while the government continues to seek a contractor.
Minister Hassan said the higher education ministry is prioritising providing the entire project to one contractor in order to streamline cooperation. The minister said he expects work to begin this year and the junior colleges to be open by 2023.
The junior college project is conducted under the new educational model introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education. As such, colleges developed under the new model will focus on foundation courses for students aged between 16 and 21, who have completed their ordinary level examinations. The courses conducted by junior colleges would have a duration of two years.
Minister Hassan earlier said the projects will be conducted in a public-private partnership, with opportunities provided for investors to generate additional revenue in the land plots given for the development of the institutes. He added the institutes will be developed with accommodation blocks, to provide the opportunity for students from other islands to enroll in the institutes.