IUM operations will not be halted: President Solih

Following the backlash directed at a proposal to combine Maldives National University (MNU) and Islamic University of Maldives (IUM), President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that this administration “will not close any educational opportunities.”

The proposal was made by North-Maafannu constituency MP Imthiyaz Fahmy at Monday’s parliament sitting, during a debate on the bills -Maldives National University Bill and Islamic University Bill- submitted by the government.

In the tweet posted on Wednesday night, President Solih assured that the government will not halt the university’s operations, adding that this is the “government’s policy.”

Both the Maldives National University and Islamic University of Maldives Bills were submitted on behalf of the government -with Madaveli constituency MP Hussain Firushan submitting the former and Ungoofaaru constituency MP submitting the latter- to overcome the various obstacles to their operations, and to regularize them.

During the debate, MP Fahmy noted that the biggest obstacle to the universities are “the political influence,” and that he believes that having two public universities will have a negative impact on the opportunities provided.

Some of the lawmakers supported the proposal, while others opposed it.

In addition, some prominent figures have since criticized the proposal and highlighted the importance of IUM to “protect the state religion.”

However, Fahmy had noted that the Maldives “will always have an Islamic University” even if the two are combined.