Maldives will be participating in the Virtual University for Small States says Dr. Ahmed Ali Manik, the State Minister for Education. Dr. Manik said this in an interview given to the Television Maldives after returning from the conference.

This was decided in The 17th Commonwealth Education Ministers conference which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from the 15th to 19 of this month. The benefit of Virtual University is that participants would be able to take courses conducted in the universities of the Commonwealth nations, through the internet without paying any fees. According to Dr. Manik, a Commonwealth Endowment Fund was established for this purpose and the former government had decided that Maldives would participate in the fund. Dr. Manik further said that Maldives will contribute ten thousand US dollars for the fund.

The other project established at the conference was the acceptance of academic certificates from other Commonwealth nations. Maldives will participate in this too, says Dr. Manik.