The amendment to the "Guidelines for Program Accreditation", released on Sunday, also stipulates that 50 percent of controlled assessments must be passed. MQA has instructed higher education institutions to adhere to these updated guidelines, even for previous
Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) has introduced a policy change requiring students at higher education institutions to achieve a 50 percent pass rate in all examinations to successfully complete their courses.
This measure addresses growing concerns about academic integrity, particularly the issue of students hiring others to complete assignments on their behalf. MQA announced its decision to raise the pass percentage in September.
The amendment to the "Guidelines for Program Accreditation", released on Sunday, also stipulates that 50 percent of controlled assessments must be passed. MQA has instructed higher education institutions to adhere to these updated guidelines, even for previously approved courses.
- Each program module or unit must have well-defined assessment criteria
- Students must produce at least one independent piece of work (written or otherwise)
- For all courses (except research in master’s programs), at least 50 percent of assessments must occur in supervised, timed, and controlled environments
- Half of the assessments should be completed without third party assistance
- A defined timeframe must be set for open-book tests
- New documents for exams
- Written examinations using books/notes
- Questions and answers sessions
- Class presentations
- Oral exams
- Meetings with supervisors
- Laboratory work
- In-class quizzes To minimize third-party involvement in assignment preparation, the policy states that no module should permit all assignments to be completed remotely.
Higher Education Act, which came into effect in 2021, imposes fines on both students who hire others to complete their coursework and those who offer such services. Students face a fine of MVR 5,000, while service providers can be fined MVR 10,000.
The Act also calls for educational institutions to establish strong monitoring systems to prevent such practices, enabling them to take action beyond imposing fines. However, despite these provisions, no actions have been taken against any offenders to date.
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