President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has announced that 134 projects aimed at improving educational resources and infrastructure will be carried out across the Maldives this year.

In his presidential address, he stressed that raising education standards is key to rebuilding the country sustainably. However, he noted that neglect in recent years has led to setbacks in the education sector, requiring major efforts to restore its quality.

The President revealed that new schools will be built in the Malé area this year with funding from Indian concessional finance.

"At the same time, 134 projects to set up school infrastructure across the country, funded by the government, will be taken up this year," he stated.

He highlighted concerns over declining student performance, particularly in primary grades, where National Assessment of Learning Outcomes data showed a drop in pass rates for mathematics from 58 percent in 2015 to 46 percent in 2023. Other subjects also saw a decline from 62 percent to 40 percent during this period.

To strengthen the education sector, the government has already launched a national teacher training programme. Additionally, as part of the ‘Cool School’ project, over 3,700 classrooms in government schools will be equipped with air conditioning this year.

The President also noted that last year, the government provided MVR 1.26 billion in financial assistance to support 15,300 students in higher education and key development fields. Additionally, 1,000 short-term training opportunities and over 640 scholarships were awarded.

These initiatives reflect the government’s commitment to improving education quality and infrastructure nationwide.