this assignment discusses about the importance of the higher education in national development.

1. Imagine trying to achieve national development goals without higher education combating HIV/AIDA without AIDS research or, cultural understanding. Providing primary education without training teachers to develop and deliver curriculum, strengthening governance without qualified policy- makers, judiciary and business leaders. <br />As key institutions of civil society, universities are uniquely positioned between the communities they serve and the governments they advise. They help develop the skills and create the knowledge needed to provide effective service to the community and to make sound policy decisions at the government level. They train future business leaders, policy-makers, scientists, teachers and front-line service professionals. They also create the knowledge needed to better understand development challenges and identify locally relevant solutions. <br />Maldives higher education institutions have been partnering with higher education institutions in the developing world to build the training and research capacity they need to solve their country’s development problems. <br />Strong local universities help countries train their own experts instead of relying on foreigners. Through research these institutions generate knowledge appropriate to their country’s reality, they gather and analyse lessons learned by other countries, and they absorb and transform this knowledge into appropriate policy and useful day to day practices that suit the local context and needs. <br />Strengthening and expansions of higher education and training is central to achieving the prime of reducing vulnerability and poverty. Human development and utilisation of the human resource potential of the nation through, wider employment opportunities are essential are essential constituents of any National Development plan. <br />With the advancement of the education system, demand for post-secondary education and training is expected to increase potentially over next five years. This unprecedented demand is fuelled by complementary forces of rapid expansion of secondary education coupled with escalating skill requirements by the industry and job market. <br />Policy direction and substantive support are essential to facilitate and energise the public and private providers of education services in meeting the need for higher education and training while ensuring that the knowledge attitudes and skills imparted through these avenues are in line with the requirements of the market and the national development priorities. <br />Considerable efforts are needed to increase higher education and training opportunities in accordance with the escalating demand and national human development needs. At present access to higher education opportunities is improbable to the great majority of the population primarily due to the limited presence and capacity of higher education service providers within the country as well as the high cost of pursuing higher education abroad. <br />The Maldives college of higher education, being the epitome of higher education institutions needs to take the leap forward to become the first university in the country, not only to symbolize the country’s educational accomplishments but to respond to the growing need for better education. <br />Exorbitant rental and scarcity of physical space transpires a formidable barrier to private sector participation in higher education provisions. The fact that only a majority of the population can afford to study abroad signifies the need to strengthen and expand the scholarship and loan assistance schemes. Online and distance modes of education, though suits the geography of the country, remain largely untapped due to lack of proper infrastructure and policy guidelines for its development and quality assurance. <br />Technological advancement causes a constant inflationary pressure on the skill requirements of the labour force. Acquisition of specific job skills on top of a well-rounded general education in increasingly becoming the minimum requirement for a fighting chance in the job market. <br />