Minister of Education Aishath Ali has stated several efforts have currently been exerted to achieve the goal of the administration to reduce the usage of single-use plastic.
Addressing the ceremony held to inaugurate the programme initiated by Ministry of Education to provide reusable water bottles to all first graders, Education Minister Aishath Ali said the government aims to exert sustainable efforts to minimise the plastic use in the country. The programme initiated by the education ministry, as part of the 100-day pledge policy of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, is conducted in association with UNICEF.
Appreciating the efforts of the schools, the education minister noted some schools have already stopped using plastic bags in schools. She described the programme as a step forward in reducing plastic.
Furthermore, addressing the ceremony, Minister of State for Environment Dr. Abdulla Naseer revealed efforts to reduce plastic usage are swiftly underway in all government offices, highlighting the importance of changing the lifestyle individually to maintain the best results.
The environment ministry announced the bottles provided for students will be BPA free. BPA stands for Bisphenol-A, which is an estragon-imitating chemical used to produce reusable plastic products, such as baby bottles, toddler sippy cups and plastic used for storing leftover food.
Furthermore, the ministry revealed plans to distribute glass bottles to schools to eliminate the use of plastics. The government initiated a nationwide campaign to minimise single-use plastic included in the 100-day pledge policy of President Solih.
As part of the campaign, the President's Office along with other government offices and companies have eliminated the use of plastic in the institutions.