Dr. Hassan Hameed elected as Vice Chancellor of National University

Dr. Hassan Hameed has been elected as Vice Chancellor of the Maldives National University (MNU) for a term of five years. Dr. Hassan, who had hitherto being the temporary Vice Chancellor, was elected to the office in a secret ballot conducted yesterday.

MNU told press yesterday that two candidates ran for the post; Dr. Ali Fawaz Shareef, who had being acting as the temporary Deputy Vice Chancellor, and Dr. Hassan. In the election, MNU Council members voted, and Dr. Hassan received 12 votes compared to 4 for Dr. Fawaz.

Before the election, the MNU Council established a committee of 3 members to shortlist candidates and recommend the best 3 candidates to the Council. Those who were shortlisted were required to do a presentation on their vision and plans for the development of the MNU. The University staff voted for the presentations, and Dr. Hassan’s presentation obtained a majority in that vote also.

The Maldivian National University, which has been statutorily created by converting former Maldives College of Higher Education into a university by the People’s Majlis, is the first university in the Maldives where a population of more than 350,000 people live. Since the establishment of the Maldives College of Education about ten years ago, Dr. Hassan Hameed had been the Rector.

Dr. Hassan, who has a doctoral degree in critical thinking, has been regarded as one of the greatest intellectuals of the country, compared to Dr. Fawaz, who has being mostly identified by many as a political figure endorsed by the government just like MNU Chancellor Dr. Musthafa Luthufy, a close associate of President Mohamed Nasheed, and also a senior activist of ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) until his nomination as Chancellor of the MNU by President Nasheed. .