Ministry of Higher Education has handed over the project site of the Dhidhdhoo Junior College to the contractor, Wee Hour Investment Private Limited.
The project site was handed over after a meeting between officials of the higher education ministry, the contractor and members of the Dhidhdhoo Island Council. They also toured the 30,000sqft project site located at the reclaimed area of the island.
The higher education ministry contracted Wee Hour Investment to develop the proposed junior college in Dhidhdhoo, Haa Alifu Atoll, on May 12. The company is tasked with completing the project within 300 days.
A junior college is being developed in Dhidhdhoo as part of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) of the government to develop higher education and training institutes in different parts of the country. The junior college in Dhidhdhoo is to be dedicated for food processing and technology courses. However, the higher education ministry said the college will also conduct vocational courses in other sectors.
The proposed junior college in Dhidhdhoo is to be developed up to two stories in a 30,000sqft land plot. The college will include an accommodation block, laboratory facilities, and a multipurpose workshop, in addition to classrooms, study rooms, an auditorium, a library, and a student services section. The college will also be equipped with an activity centre and a gymnasium.
The junior college project is conducted under the new educational model introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education. In this regard, 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.