Ministry of Higher Education has revealed discussions have been held to transfer the loans taken by students of the Asian Academy of Aeronautics (AAA) to the government.
In a tweet, the higher education ministry stated the discussions were held with Ministry of Finance and Bank of Maldives (BML) to transfer the student loans from the national bank to the ministry, as per the decision of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The ministry stated it has initiated the transfer process and have emailed students for the consent of transfer.
The president decided to transfer the student loans taken by students at the AAA under BML to the higher education ministry to prevent interest from being charged on the loans. The government has also extended the repayment period of the loans taken by the students.
AAA, the flying school being operated in Addu City, has come under scrutiny for its failures to complete its programmes for students as scheduled and overcharging the course fees. Several students at the flying school have raised concerns over the issues, leading to a parliament inquiry into the matter, which found the AAA does not have the sufficient resources and facilities to conduct its programmes.
Furthermore, President Solih has also decided to investigate two senior officials of AAA and ordered an independent audit on the Civil Aviation Authority to identify any negligence which led to the students at the AAA facing an uncertain situation with regards to their programme.