Ministry of Higher Education has decided to assist students of Addu Flying School transfer to Maldivian Aviation Academy.
The higher education ministry stated it will provide loans to students to take part in the aviation academy's refresher course, which will be conducted to determine the skill level of the students. As such, each student is required to pay USD 1,500 to participate in the refresher course.
Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan said students of Addu Flying School are required to participate in the refresher course before being enrolled in the aviation academy. The minister said the decision to provide loan assistance to the students was made after discussions with the Island Aviation Service Limited (IASL) and Maldives National University (MNU). He said students will only be required to pay the loans six months after completion of the course and that further financial assistance will be provided after the students complete the refresher course.
The Maldivian Aviation Academy was officially inaugurated on December 28 and is a collaboration between IASL, MNU, and the Czech Republic-based Flying Academy.
The aviation academy has opened applications for prospective students and will enroll 80 students each year, with 30 students to be enrolled in the first batch. IASL revealed priority will be given to students of Addu Flying School who have had to discontinue their training for a variety of reasons.
Addu Flying School, which was operated by the Asian Academy of Aeronautics (AAA) in Gan, had faced several operational problems, resulting in a large number of its students being unable to complete their courses.