The certification issued by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to Huffaz has received accreditation from the Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA).
Last year, the Ministry had held discussions with the MQA to change the Hafiz certification to the standard accepted by the MQA which has now received the required MQA accreditation.
The Hafiz certification will be recognised as a Level 4 or Advanced Certificate of the National Qualifications Framework.
However, there are two conditions under which the Hafiz certification will be recognised as a Level 4 certificate. One condition is for students to have completed a lower secondary certificate and a Maldives National Qualifications Framework Level 3 qualification. The second is to be 18 years of age with one year of work experience and a Maldives National Qualifications Framework Level 3 qualification.
The National Center for the Holy Quran, which is under the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, is responsible for awarding the Hafiz. A student of a Quran memorisation class registered with the National Center for the Holy Quran applies for the Hafiz examination and submits it to a committee appointed by the Center. After the examination, the certificate of Hafiz is awarded.
The Administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has made some changes to the regulation for awarding the Hafiz certification. The students who memorise the Quran at the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM) had to pass the Quran Center examination to receive the Hafiz certification. However, the regulation has now been changed to allow students who memorise the Quran at IUM to be awarded their certificates without taking the Quran Center examination.