A bill has been submitted to the parliament to amend the Tertiary Education Act seeking to reduce the number of years required for an academic institution to transition as a university, to 10 years.
Ihanvadhoo MP Mohamed Shifau presented the bill on behalf of the government, which sought to amend the requirements for an academic institution to transition as a university.
The bill stated that an academic institution in the Maldives can transition into a university if it has been operating continuously for a period of 10 years. The bill further stated that foreign academic institutions operating for a period of five years, registered as a university in their home country, will be able to establish as universities in the Maldives as well.
The amendment proposed by the MP also stated that the changes will become effective once the bill is ratified and put on the state gazette.
The current law stipulates that academic institutions must operate continuously for 20 years before transitioning to a university. For international universities, they must have operated as a university in their home country for a period of 10 years or more to be recognized in the Maldives.
While the government has introduced an amendment to the Tertiary Education Act, independent MP of Thulusdhoo constituency, Ibrahim Naseem, presented a similar bill in September 2022, aiming to reduce the operational period required for academic institutions to transition to universities.
MP Naseem suggested to reduce the operational period to 15 years, and subsequently amend the act.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) however, voted against the bill and dismissed it from the parliament.
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