Empowering youth: Dr Nur Amani delivering a talk on the dangers of smoking and vaping at Huraa School.
THE Republic of Maldives and Universiti Malaya (UM) will be collaborating to realise the nation’s goal of creating a healthy generation of Maldivians.
Minister of State for Education Dr Ahmed Mohamed said Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu had made a “very difficult” decision to ban vaping in the country because the latter wants to make sure that the country’s future talent remains healthy.
Abdulla“It was not an easy decision to make because there is pressure from businesses, the youth themselves, and the community to allow vaping but our president has a very clear vision to prioritise the well-being of young Maldivians.
“Every ministry has been told to make sure that we are aligned in working towards this goal.“Health is the main component of all the work that we do across ministries,” he said during a meeting with the Nicotine Addiction Research Collaborating Group (NARCC) of the University Malaya Centre for Addiction Science Studies (UMCAS) on Jan 15 in Malé.
The NARCC was in the Maldives to conduct a series of workshops and talks under the “HEBAT (Henti, Elak, Basmi Asap Tembakau) initiative: Empowering youth for a tobacco and nicotine-free school” to groom trainers as well as to raise awareness among students about the harms of tobacco smoking, vaping and drug use.
Ahmed, an alumnus of UM, said the collaboration between the Maldives and the varsity can be expanded to include the learning of life skills, physical fitness, and mental well-being of its youth.
The HEBAT initiative, he said, was a very good start.
“Moving forward, we can look into other health and wellness areas where UM can come and assist us to upskill our educators, health officers and students,” he said.
AhmedHeld from Jan 13 to 16 at Imaduddin School, Malé, and Huraa School, Huraa, the four-day HEBAT programme was aimed at equipping some 80 officers from the ministry, school heads, teachers, counsellors, and healthcare personnel, as well as 195 students from 16 schools, with the skills to be agents of change in their respective institutions.
Earlier, when launching the workshops, Ahmed said the government is “working hard today for tomorrow’s generation”.
“We have raised the legal age for tobacco use to 21 and we have banned e-cigarettes,” he said, adding that everyone must work hand in hand to make sure that the youth have access to a safe and healthy learning environment.
The Maldives became the latest country to ban e-cigarettes after its president instructed relevant authorities to initiate the necessary actions to prohibit the import of vaporiser devices, accessories and parts starting from Nov 15, 2024.
Starting Dec 15, the ban was extended to the possession, use, manufacturing, sale, promotion, and free distribution of vaporiser devices nationwide.
ShifazImaduddin School principal Dr Ali Mamdhooh said big tobacco companies are investing heavily in new products to lure youngsters to pick up smoking and vaping.
“E-cigarettes are a threat to our smoke-free schools because the devices look like pens and everyday items.
“Teachers may not be able to recognise an e-cigarette even if a student brings it to school. That’s why we will be installing metal detectors in our school,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Education Dr Fathmath Nishan said the Maldivian government is on a “critical mission” to equip schools with the resources and training to tackle smoking and the growing menace of e-cigarette use.
“We are doing everything we can to protect our students and educators from these social ills.
“Students start smoking, and now vaping, because of peer pressure but sadly, they end up becoming addicted to the habit,” she said.
Thanking the NARCC, the ministry’s head of professional training, Abdulla Ismail, said the workshops were engaging and delivered well.
He said the government has been conducting regular training for teachers across the Maldives so that they can share the skills and knowledge with their peers to benefit more students.
“The Maldives comprises more than 1,000 islands. Our hope is that the teachers who have attended these workshops will go back to their schools and train others,” he said, adding that the workshops were very well received and “the best we have had so far – an A+ job”.
NARCC deputy coordinator and HEBAT programme lead Assoc Prof Dr Nur Amani Ahmad Tajuddin said there are plans to conduct more training in the Maldives in collaboration with the World Health Organization.
“We are in discussions to bring the team over in August,” she said.
Dr Nur Amani, who is a family medicine specialist, said the seven-member NARCC team comprised experts and academics from various fields including medicine, psychiatry, counselling, education and mass communication.
The Maldives, said UMCAS chief coordinator and NARCC coordinator Assoc Prof Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin, has a very good chance of becoming a smoke-free nation if it is successful in implementing the generational endgame (GEG) element in its laws.
“Thanks to its strong anti-tobacco regulations, the Maldives might be among the few countries in the world that can successfully implement the GEG initiative where a certain population that has never smoked before will never be able to do so,” he said, adding that UM’s team of experts are happy to share their experience with the Maldivian government to develop an effective smoke-free plan.
“The topography and logistic challenges as well as the compact living arrangements in the Maldives are some of the issues that must be taken into account in addressing social ills such as tobacco and drug addiction.
“Malaysia also has much to learn from you and we look forward to strengthening relations with your government,”he said, adding that both cultures share a lot of similarities in culture, food and religion, making it easy for the Maldives and Malaysia to work together, particularly in education.
