Education minister criticizes planning issues in Dharumavantha School’s new building

Minister of Education Dr Ismail Shafeeu has stated that the new building for Dharumavantha School, developed during the previous administration, was constructed without a hall due to inadequate project planning. Responding to questions from parliamentarians, Dr Shafeeu explained that while construction of the new school building began in December 2020, no actions were taken over the subsequent three years to include a hall. The previous administration had intended to build a hall on a neighbouring plot originally designated for a prison in Malé City. The minister noted that the site of the new building had ample space to accommodate both a hall and a playground if the project had been properly planned. Dharumavantha School was originally established on land allocated to Majeedhiyya School, aiming to alleviate the challenges of operating under a single management due to Majeedhiyya’s growing student population. However, due to the deteriorating condition of the original building, a temporary facility was set up next to Velaanaage in 2016. A new permanent building was later completed, with classes beginning on 6 August for the new academic year. The new facility includes 41 classrooms.