Govt to launch portal for overseas student services by October
The new portal is expected to support this target by streamlining communication and request processing.
The Ministry of Higher Education will launch a new online portal by October to improve the response time to letters and emails from Maldivian students studying abroad on government scholarships or student loans, according to Minister Dr Ali Haider Ahmed.
The minister provided the update in a written response to a question raised by Ahmed Azaan Marzooq, Parliament member for Hithadhoo Central constituency, during Wednesday's parliamentary sitting.
“To expedite services, including replying to student emails and letters, work has already begun to create a portal to manage student information,” the minister said. He added that preparations are also underway to establish a call centre within the ministry.
MP Azaan had asked for clarification on what steps the ministry is taking to address delays in responding to student correspondence.
In his written reply, Minister Haider outlined several reasons for the delays. These include:
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The Ministry's Scholarship Section, Loan Section, and the Government-Funded First Degree Scheme currently receive over 600 emails or letters daily. On some days, the number is higher.
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The number of students participating in these programmes continues to increase annually, which contributes to a rise in inquiries.
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Social media posts by students regarding delayed payments have led others to reach out via phone and email, including requests for early disbursements.
Haider noted that due to these reasons, the workload of ministry staff has increased, making it difficult for sections to respond to emails promptly.
He stated that while the ministry has been aiming to respond within seven days, the new goal is to reply to student correspondence within three days.
The new portal is expected to support this target by streamlining communication and request processing.
Additionally, the minister said that every September, when the student loan scheme is opened for applications, the ministry experiences a significant increase in workload. To address this, staff from other government offices will assist with the process, and interns will also be engaged to support the work.
