The Ministry of Higher Education, Labour, and Skills Development is formulating a national policy to rank higher education institutions in the Maldives, as part of efforts to strengthen regulatory oversight and improve education quality across the sector.

Speaking to MMTV, Minister Dr Ali Haidar Ahmed said the Ministry is currently revising the higher education regulatory framework under the National Policy on Higher Education, with the aim of enhancing institutional governance and establishing clear quality benchmarks. As part of this work, a new policy will define how universities, colleges and training centres are ranked, alongside the introduction of sector-wide quality standards.

According to the Ministry, 136 higher education and training institutions are currently registered in the Maldives. These include two universities, two Government colleges, 10 private colleges, 31 Government institutes and 91 training centres, along with 43 college campuses operating nationwide.

The Minister noted that the Government is also working to build a stronger evidence-based environment for policymaking through investments in research and innovation. A key initiative is the creation of the National Research Grant Fund, designed to support research-led solutions in areas of national priority.

To guide the Fund’s work, a nine-member National Research Council has been established to oversee policy direction and grant allocation. Small and medium-sized research grants will be disbursed through designated grant managers selected from qualified applicants. So far, three institutions, Maldives National University, Islamic University of Maldives and Villa College, have been appointed as grant managers, marking the first phase of the programme’s rollout.