Education Ministry Explains Recruitment of Foreigners as Arabic and Quran Teachers

Quran and Arabic teachers recruited via Norka Roots in India had raised questions among the public as to why we had to seek foreign nationals for positions where ideally local teachers should have been appointed.  
 
A statement has been issued by the Ministry of Education explaining the situation. As per the statement, multiple announcements and efforts were made into seeking locals for the positions. Discussions were held with students in training institutes as well. However, all announcements were ineffective, mostly because the schools are on islands outside the Greater Male’ Region.  
 
Taking into consideration the fact that long term discontinuation of the subjects will disrupt the studies of students, the Ministry sought assistance from different High Commissions in the Maldives. The High Commision of India in Maldives assisted the Ministry in recruiting 10 teachers, 5 for Arabic Language and 5 as Quran teachers, in 2020 to teach in 9 schools across the Maldives. The project was managed with Norka Roots in Kerala, the only government-run agency in the state that is authorized officially to facilitate overseas recruitment.  
 
The ministry further stated that training programs are ongoing to prepare local teachers for the positions and upon completion, current appointments will be replaced under the localization policy.