The Mayor of Male', Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has revealed that the Male' City Council was the first institution to attempt to resolve the Arabiyya issue. "We were the first to address the issue and to extend a helping hand to the faculty, students and parents of Arabiyya School", he noted.
Speaking on VTV's "Fasmanzaru" programme, Dr. Muizzu recalled that the City Council was the first institution to meet with the parents of Arabiyya, back when no authority, including government ministries, were willing to meet with them and listen to their concerns.
He elaborated that, at the meeting, he had suggested to the parents to request from the government to allocate the old UN Building to operate the school, as he felt that it was a sizable building in central Male' that would have sufficed at least until a permanent solution was found. The Mayor added that he was not aware of his the request transpired subsequently. "I am sure where the parents had actually unsuccessfully lodged that request with the government, or that they had decided to pursue others possible courses of action", he went on to note.
Dr. Mohamed Muizzu noted that the government had eventually buckled under public pressure and allocated the old Jamaaluddin School premises to move Arabiyya School. He pointed out that, being in one of the most congested areas of the city, the old Jamaluddin School was not an ideal site to relocate Arabiyya, but that he and his team had duly completed the registration paperwork for the move on the request of the government. "We fully understood the desperation of the parents, and readily completed the title registration transfer documentation, even if it was not the ideal solution", he stated.
In his interview, the Mayor reassured that neither he nor his team of Council Members would impede or sabotage development efforts or stand in the way of any initiative that would benefit the residents of Male'.