• Total number of students in Malaysia: 5.7 million.
• Total number of students in Maldives: ~50,000.

• Malaysia spends 17.5% of their annual budget on education resulting in an annual per capita (students only) budget of about 450 dollars for 2006.
• If the Maldives were to spend 17.5% of their annual budget on education, the per capita budget amongst students will be well over 2,000 dollars for 2006.

• Why then does Malaysia have more than 60 colleges (of which 6 are state universities)?
• Why does Malaysia have their own primary, secondary and higher-secondary level accredition systems?
• Wait! Why do Maldivians go to Malaysia at all for their studies?

Were Maldives spending 17.5% of their budget on education, the problem with the education system of the country should be surmised as one of lackadaisical engineering and limitation of experience on the part of the people in charge. However, the discretional funds budgeted for education through 2006 is only 5% of the annual budget, which amounts to about 33 million dollars. Is this enough?

5% of the annual budget results in more than 650 dollars per capita amongst the students of the Maldives. This is still 200 dollars more than the per capita budget apportioned for the students of Malaysia. Why then are the Maldivian schools suffering from the lack of budgets and mismanagement? Why is the education system deteriorating year by year?

If more money is needed the Maldives can contribute another 12.5% from its budget before it exceeds the education budget of Malaysia in proporation.

I say there is enough money! I say the government apportioned more than enough of a budget for education in 2006! I say the Ministry of Education (is that what it's called now? - I can never tell) is sleeping on the job!