Your Excellency Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are gathered here today to mark yet another milestone in the Maldives-India bilateral co-operation. Like our previous projects, this will not only be a landmark of our friendship, but will also make a significant contribution to our development efforts.
I wish to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and the Government and the people of India for the generous assistance that you have made available for this project. I am particularly happy that you are joining me today in laying the foundation stone of the new building of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies. Your participation in this event illustrates the importance that your Government attaches to our bilateral relations.
The objective of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies is to enable our young women and men to learn the skills that they require to serve in the tourism industry. It seeks to cater to the need of the industry for trained and competent staff.
The Faculty was established in 1987 as the School of Hotel and Catering Services, with the support of UNDP and the European Commission. Over the past 15 years, the school has established itself as an important institution offering a high level of training in the hospitality sector.
Today, in addition to government funding, the Faculty benefits from regular contributions made by the tourism sector. The demand for seats at the institute has increased, as the number of young people seeking a career in the hospitality industry has risen tremendously. Indeed, the expansion of the capacity of the Faculty is now an urgent priority.
At present, the Faculty can only take in about 100 students in each batch of training. The new building, when completed, will have equipment and facilities to train 200 fulltime students at a time. Not only will the number of students who could be enrolled increase, but the programmes will also expand in quality, variety and level of qualification.
Mr. Prime Minister:
Human resources development is an important priority of the Government. Today, in the Maldives, primary education is universal, and secondary education is available in all the atolls. It is now an immediate challenge to increase the options for tertiary education. This is in order to facilitate the pursuit of specialised training and to prepare the youth to become productive citizens.
The Government is deeply grateful for the support of a number of donors to develop our human resources. India is making an important contribution in this regard. The MITE project, which is now the Faculty for Engineering Technology, represents a significant input made by India. Moreover, under numerous funding schemes of the Government of India, nearly 140 students are currently undergoing training in India in a variety of fields.
The Government has already utilised three World Bank loans, and has implemented a number of bilateral projects to increase higher education opportunities. The Maldives College of Higher Education was formed in 1998 to support this objective. It has brought together six existing institutes at the tertiary level, as constituent faculties of the college.
Here, I would like to thank the Rector of the College, Dr. Hassan Hameed, the administrators of the College, and the teaching staff of the various faculties, for the tireless efforts they are making to develop tertiary education in the Maldives.
Mr. Prime Minister:
We look forward to the early completion of this vital project, which will remain a lasting monument of the friendship that India and the Maldives share.
On behalf of the Government and the people of the Maldives, and in my own name, I would like to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and the Government and the people of India, for your generous contribution to our human resources development.
Thank you.