Ministry of Education a Humiliating Place to go through: What a transformation?

Have you ever been heard about the Ministry of Education’s inhospitable civility? For those who unfamiliar with this Ministry I say ready to read what I am going to reveal in this piece of writing.

Ministry of Education is in the same building where I work earning some living to look after my little family with two kids. My wife and I have completed our education up to the College standards in Maldives. She is a primary school teacher who works in dayshift school in Male’. My kids are been looked after by her parents because we could not keep ourselves engaged in parenting our kids as to survive in the Capital Male’. This is just a short narration of my life.

As you may know people are focusing on studies whether old or young in the current milieu of Maldives. We only value the white-collar jobs rather focus on the skilled areas such as construction, fisheries and agriculture. To be brief, this is how we have been brought up and programmed to live for the past decades. Though, today it seems even the management careers are tough for us or else may be the generations are fed up to live in the current society because of the social, political and economical superfluous within our society.

Well, my wife is a young lady who is in her mid twenties and has completed her diploma in teaching but wanted to go for higher studies in child psychology. I always wanted to fill her dream from the day she disclosed her vision. But I am someone who is unable to fulfil that dream yet.

There were chances before but the probability was marginal and competitive. Besides, when Dr Hassan Saeed revealed his presidential manifesto and the financial plan, we were glad for the opportunities that may bestowed on teachers for their development and training if he was elected. However, his vision and our dreams were scattered across a yellow page.

Whether we despise of the yellow colour, we have been accepted by the choice that people made. Above and beyond, we both were looking for chances under the yellow regime but nothing much has been changed yet. However, the demands from the teachers union and individuals have been escalated pressure to the new regime to open up avenues for teachers development and training but this avenue is significantly communal by teachers own funds with little shared from the government.

Anyway, we both considered taking this opportunity for her and applying for the loan scheme to go for higher studies in a neighbouring country or Malaysia. This decision was made with calculated estimations taking account of everything by even considering to rent out our apartment too.

We have gathered all necessary supporting documents with exception of the university offer letter which took few weeks to obtain it from Malaysia via its Australian counterpart. Since, before the due date we were unable to provide this offer letter. Somehow, we got the green light from the Ministry of Education to apply with the remaining documents by addressing a letter to the Ministry with details of the pending status of this offer letter. As you may know, getting an offer letter from an overseas university is not that easy sincem, the timeframe of the given deadline of the loan scheme was inadequate.

In regards to this, we had few phone calls to the Ministry and also we have been seen them in person and promised to lodge the offer letter as soon as we recieves . After the deadline, we thought to meet the person in charge of this scheme. However, we were unable to meet her because of her absenteeism but we did not give up and went to see the section head and his name is called Abdulla Hassan.

I and my friend went to see him and we were been asked to identify ourselves and questioned on the phone before getting into the ministry as if we were terrorists. The director’s secretary directed us inside and when we entered his room we were shown two chairs in front of his table. Then, he could not bother us for awhile, may be he was busy or does not wanted to show us his interest of this unendorsed meeting. After finishing what he was up to he simply queried and we both enlightened him the intention of the meeting.

People would not believe what he was done when were discussing our concern of this application. He was absolutely ludicrous and his attention was completely on his computer screen. Whenever we talk he just played the icons on the desktop pretending that he was busy. I managed to see his computer screen. It was a picture folder while he was slowly moving the mouse as like a computer illiterate. Unquestionably, he is not good at computers but anyhow his pretext of his behaviour was unacceptable. My friend was like he was ready to shove off his head. He was completely lost his interest because of this man. This man never did listen nor did he look at our faces during the time we spent in that room.

Anytime when we talked about the scheme and the offer letter he just starts his own story saying that the scheme was not for our living but it is just for the purpose of the study. For sure, we have known this loan scheme in and out. We were been told that the amount that offers to a degree and Diploma programs are MRF75,000 and MRF50,000 respectively for the entire courses. When we span this amount in a spreadsheet for three or four years the figure are even not covered for the annual tickets and few months rent allowance. Although, we badly wanted this loan just to manage with our own funds but we have been subjected this man’s resentment where he considered that we were there for to acquire that loan to spend for our youthful pleasure.

He totally misunderstood because of his ill-mannered behaviour. We wanted to see him just to inform his juniors or selection committee not to withdraw the application until she gets her offer letter. We did not attend to the Ministry to beg for favours, except, we went to there to put forward our case but instead we were been humiliated by their inhospitable civility.

This is the change we wanted and I feel I am still living in the blue colour era but the media and people are wisely saying that yellow is better than blue. I see nothing but a fading rainbow.