Parliament passes bill allowing colleges with 15 years’ operation to gain university status
The main purpose of the amendment is to ease certain conditions required for colleges to obtain university status while clarifying existing provisions.
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Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill amending the Higher Education and Training Act to allow colleges that have operated continuously for 15 years to be granted university status.
The amendment, first proposed by Maafannu South MP Abdulla Rifau in July last year, was passed with 55 votes in favour and none against. The bill had remained with the National Development and Heritage Committee for over a year before being presented to the floor with committee revisions.
The main purpose of the amendment is to ease certain conditions required for colleges to obtain university status while clarifying existing provisions. Under the current law, institutions must have operated as colleges for at least 20 years. The new amendment reduces that period to 15 years.
The bill does not alter the existing requirement that a foreign university operating in the Maldives must have been registered in its home country for at least 10 years.
The committee made several changes before the bill was approved. One key change removes restrictions on specific fields of study. Instead, a college must continue to offer its own academic programmes or those affiliated with foreign universities in at least three subject areas at Levels 7 and 9 of the Maldives National Qualifications Framework. These areas may include Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.
Another amendment requires that regulations related to the new provisions be formulated within two months of the law’s enactment.
Additional requirements for institutions seeking university status include:
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A minimum of 1,000 students enrolled in Level 7 and above courses under the Maldives National Qualifications Framework;
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Demonstrated experience in collaboration with international organisations;
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At least 10 percent of academic staff holding PhD qualifications;
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Adequate facilities to operate as a university in line with Ministry standards.
The Maldives currently has two state-run universities: the Maldives National University (MNU) and the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM). Once enacted, the amendment will allow several existing colleges to apply for university status.
Similar proposals were brought forward during the 19th Parliament but were not passed.
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