The administration held a press conference on Monday to unveil details of the new pay framework for higher education sector staff. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced his plans to revise the salary structure of higher education sector staff in his address at the opening of the People's Majlis on February 6, 2023.

The new pay framework details were revealed by Ibrahim Ameer, the Minister of Finance; Dr Ibrahim Hassan, the Minister of Higher Education; and Dr Mohamed Faizal, the Secretary General of the National Pay Commission. The new pay framework for higher education sector staff took effect on March 1, 2023.

The new pay framework was introduced under the administration's pledge to enhance the education sector by improving the quality of teachers and ensuring a commensurate wage for education and higher education sector staff. The administration believes that the foundation for building productive citizens depends on the educational and training opportunities available to them, which depend on the standard and quality of the education sector staff.

Speaking with the media, Dr Hassan described the new pay framework as a significant initiative by the administration and added that the primary goal was to strengthen the education and higher education sectors. He also described the new pay framework as a "revolutionary" change spearheaded by the administration.

Ameer stated that consultations were carried out with representatives of the Maldives National University (MNU) and the Islamic University of the Maldives (IUM) about the new pay framework. He added that staff would now be eligible for promotions every two years and that the new pay framework would positively impact the overall standards of the education and higher education sectors.

Dr Faizal added that the pay commission held consultations with representatives of MNU and IUM about the changes to the pay framework. The new pay framework unveiled today would see the salaries of higher education sector staff raised between 14 and 99 per cent, while administrative staff would also receive an increment of 35 per cent of their wages.

Today, the administration also revealed that efforts to harmonise pay across the board were in the final stages. The new, harmonised pay structure for all government employees would eliminate discrepancies and ensure uniform pay for staff in the same position and level in different government offices and institutions.