President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has vowed to ease the burden of students who are paying loans to receive an education. He made the remark while giving his Presidential Address at the Parliament of the Maldives.
In his address, President Solih said that many residents had few opportunities to pursue higher secondary education in their atolls when his administration took office. He said that these opportunities are being provided as part of the administration’s efforts to build a generation of skilled young people. He also noted the concerns of students who took loans and assured that their concerns are being addressed.
As such, President Solih said that 1,986 students received higher education loans from the administration and that it had restructured the loans to lessen their burden. He also noted that 16,315 students have enrolled in the government's free degree programme, and that more than 6,500 have graduated from the programme so far. He added that work is being done to prepare 6,000 talented young people for employment.
Furthermore, President Solih provided details of the administration's efforts to train youth for the labour market in his address. He emphasised the widespread efforts to establish junior colleges, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) centres, and polytechnic centres. He added that a nation's most precious resource is its young, educated workforce.
Moreover, President Solih reflected on the many initiatives undertaken by his administration to improve the quality of education. He noted that 1,578 projects for constructing classroom buildings and 85 projects for developing multi-purpose halls are being completed as part of the infrastructure development initiatives. He highlighted that there are currently 509 ongoing education-related infrastructure development projects.