President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has announced that the wages of all employees in the education sector will be increased. He made the announcement in his Presidential Address at the start of the first session of Parliament for the year on Thursday.
In his address, the president said the enormous responsibility of building the country is borne by the teachers who build the country's children and that it is a pledge of the current administration to raise the wages of those in the education sector. In this regard, the salary of those working in the sector will be raised in May.
".. with this change, the salary of a graduate-level secondary teacher will increase from MVR 12,628 to MVR 19,740, excluding overtime. This is a 56 percent increase," the president said.
President Solih further said different trainings were provided to 4,082 teachers in the last year and that Master's degree-level education opportunities from abroad were provided to 20 principals.
Providing details on the administration's efforts to develop the education sector, President Solih said the government is building the infrastructural capacity and resources to shift the school sessions from two sessions to a single session. He noted that 23 schools had been changed to single-session schools during the current presidential term.
The president further noted that 117 classrooms and six multipurpose halls were constructed in 22 schools in 2021. The construction of an additional 473 classrooms and 27 multipurpose halls in 55 schools is ongoing. The government will be spending MVR 961million on the projects, he said.
Furthermore, the president said that work is ongoing to establish TIVET centers, junior colleges, and polytechnic across the Maldives. He said that the construction of Ha. Dhidhdhoo's junior college and a TIVET center in R. Alifushi will be carried out this year. He added that the construction of a junior college in Kendhikulhudhoo and polytechnic is Thulusdhoo have already been announced.
In his address, President Solih said being a student in a small island is no reason to be deprived of equal opportunities. He noted that satellite schools had been established for the first time in B. Fehendhoo and V. Thinadhoo.
'This has allowed B. Fehendhoo Aminath Asifa's two children to stop their daily 'Bokkuraa' ride to B. Goidhoo to attend school,' said the President.
