Vice President Faisal Naseem has held discussions this afternoon with senior representatives and officials of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education and other relevant educational institutions regarding the changes to the sector due to COVID-19.
The online discussion was attended by the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Ibrahim Hassan, the Minister of Education, Dr Aishath Ali and Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Ahmed Zahir, along with senior representatives from Maldives National University, Maldives Islamic University and other educational institutions.
The discussions during the meeting centred on the current challenges being faced in the education sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related activities being carried out in the country. The key underscored point was the shortage of human resources and the provision of training programs to strengthen human resources in the sectors where it is scarce. The Vice President and the participants of the meeting also deliberated on procedures to continue teaching students currently enrolled in higher education programs. The participants were also briefed on relevant tasks currently being carried out, the existing and projected challenges in carrying out those tasks as well as future plans in the education sector.
The Vice President concluded the meeting asserting that regardless of the challenges being faced due to the global and national prevalence of COVID-19, all individuals and institutions should work together with fresh energy to develop better capacity and resources. He highlighted the importance of all capable members of the working-age population doing their part and reiterated the importance of providing adequate training to retired or returning staff of the health sector before resuming work.