New Vocational High School to open at Polytechnic this month

Education Minister, Dr Ismail Shafeeu, said today that the new vocational training school will be run at Polytechnic, with studies starting later this month. Applications for the newly created Malé Vocational High School are open until next Friday.

The minister told Mihaaru News that the vocational training school for higher secondary will be located at Polytechnic, which already offers vocational courses. The vocational high school will be taught in the morning session. Although the concept is different, the high school will be run under a principal, like other schools, with its own logo and uniform.

The ministry said it will start notifying enrolled students from tomorrow onwards and will begin recruiting staff within this month. Twenty-five percent of the school’s capacity is already filled.

“In addition to the compulsory subjects, the students will have the opportunity to choose their field of choice,” Minister Shafeeu said.

The ministry had earlier stated that a Level 4 national certificate would be awarded upon completion of the programs.

Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to pursue higher education in the field in which they earned the certificate.

This year's intake will offer 10 different types of training. They are:

Minister Shafeeu said that only the academic pathway was previously available to students, making it difficult for children with low grades to progress in a school environment.

Providing a vocational pathway will enable students to pursue higher education in the field of their choice, he said.

In the first phase of expanding vocational education to the atolls, training will be opened very soon in Raa Atoll Alifushi, utilizing the facilities already available on the island, he added.