MP Maaroof: School Budget Crisis Forces Parents and Teachers to Raise Funds

Member of Parliament for Kendu constituency Maaroof Zakariya stated that the financial situation of schools in the Maldives has deteriorated, forcing them to raise funds by having parents and teachers work on additional activities. During a parliamentary session today while debating the government’s proposed amendment bill to the Education Act, Maaroof said that the biggest problem currently facing schools is the difficulty in obtaining even the most basic materials needed for teaching due to lack of budget. “The biggest challenge facing the education sector in the Maldives is budget constraints. Without getting the most basic items required for schools, we do not see a single school that does not hold extra activities or raise funds by having parents and teachers work, or by organizing PTA meetings,” he said. He stated that this government is attempting to reduce expenses by proposing amendments to every law, not for the benefit of the citizens, but instead, by cutting costs from education and other basic services, the government uses money for President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s personal expenses. On this issue, Maaroof further said that he does not understand what large budgets passed by the People’s Majlis are used for, adding that they [members] receive calls from every school asking them to find sponsors. “Schools have been forced to seek sponsorship from large companies because the government budget cannot bear the costs of holding annual days, award ceremonies, and sports activities at schools,” Maaroof said. The government has announced that it has taken some fiscal reform measures to reduce state expenditures after taking office. These measures include reducing administrative and operational costs of various ministries and schools across the Maldives, and previously, some islands’ schools had complained about not receiving adequate budgets.