The ‘Single Session’ project for schools in N. Lhohi and R. Kinolhas was inaugurated on Sunday, through a virtual ceremony.
The six new classrooms built in R. Kinolhas and N. Lhohi were funded under the MVR 200 million grant assistance provided by India in 2019, to support socially impactful projects strewn across the atolls. Foreign ministry revealed that MVR 12 million was utilized for the construction of these classrooms.
The virtual inauguration of these classrooms took place in a ceremony attended by the principals of both schools, Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, Secretary, Multilateral Dr. Hala Hameed, High Commissioner of India to Maldives Sunjay Sudhir, as well as the Education Minister Dr. Aishath Ali.
During the ceremony, Foreign Secretary Ghafoor highlighted India’s contribution to restoring Maldives economy, stating that the difficulties faced in teaching students with special needs in the region will now be eased with the inauguration of the new classrooms.
This project seeks to improve everyday learning through the use of advanced technology and increase accessibility for differently-abled students"- Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed
The classrooms have been specially manufactured to fit the needs of such students.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Education Minister Dr. Aishath stated that the incumbent administration aims to fit all grades into one school session, mentioning that the main barrier in doing so, is the lack of adequate space.
Changing our schools to single session in order to provide holistic education is one of the main objectives of our government. A good portion of the government’s budget has been allocated to the education sector, and we have been upgrading and improving the physical infrastructure of many schools to make them operate in a single session. Despite this, there remains more schools that need upgrading"Education Minister Dr. Aishath Ali
In his speech delivered during the ceremony, High Commissioner Sudhir expressed that India is honored to be a vital element in Maldives’ developmental ventures. He stated that assistance towards the healthcare sector and education sector will be especially prioritized.
The high commission said this project is a step in the right direction to help schools establish a holistic system catering to the needs of the prescribed curriculum requirements, adding that transformation to single session schools will aid the all-round development of students while also helping them do better academically.
It further stressed that projects that support educational development and bring about a qualitative change in the lives of children are a focus area of India’s developmental assistance to the Maldives, adding that there are 30 small and medium High-Impact Community Development projects being carried out across Maldives currently, through India's assistance.
