MQA to invalidate courses not re-accredited under 2022 guidelines

Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) announced that higher education programmes which fail to obtain re-accreditation under the “Program Accreditation Guidelines” introduced in 2022 will be deemed invalid.

In an announcement, the MQA clarified that, pursuant to the guidelines issued in August 2022, all higher education and training institutions in the Maldives are required to seek re-accreditation for programmes that had been previously approved. The authority noted that this requirement had already been formally communicated to all institutions registered with the Ministry of Higher Education.

However, the MQA observed that a number of institutions have yet to submit their existing and ongoing programmes for re-accreditation. Despite efforts to convene meetings with these institutions over the course of this year, the authority reported that it had only been able to engage with a limited number.

"To date, we have been unable to establish contact with approximately 30 institutions via the email addresses and phone numbers they registered with the Ministry," the MQA statement read.

The authority further emphasized that, irrespective of the lack of communication to date, any programme that has not obtained re-accreditation will be formally invalidated with effect from October 22, 2027.

The MQA has requested that all institutions which have previously received programme approvals but have not yet coordinated with respect to the new accreditation standards submit their institutional details via [email protected] by April 31st. 

Furthermore, the authority urged all higher education providers to submit their unaccredited programmes for review at the earliest opportunity, well in advance of the October 22, 2027, deadline.

"We reiterate that any program that remains without formal re-accreditation after October 22, 2027, will be considered null and void," the notice concluded.