The Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA) has issued a warning to Avid College for conducting programs in Sri Lanka in violation of the accreditation rules and the rules on conducting accredited programs abroad.

In a statement , the MQA said it issued a warning to the college as an initial measure on the recommendation of the MQA Advisory Board.

The MQA said Avid College had conducted programs at Sri Lanka's Amazon College and Alzette University in violation of the authority's accreditation rules.

“This is based on information shared with the Authority by students, qualification agencies in various countries and Avid College to verify the validity of Avid College certificates obtained by graduates of some of the programs in Amazon College and Alzette University in Sri Lanka,” the MQA said.

The MQA stated that Avid College programs had been promoted in Sri Lanka's Chester College of Higher Education, Imperial Wisdom Graduate Campus, Innovatus Campus, Ceylon College of Applied Studies and Between Campus.

These institutions are not registered with TVEC, UGC and Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Sri Lanka, the MQA highlighted.

The MQA said it had repeatedly issued warnings to Avid College since August 29, 2024, not to run its programs contrary to the accreditation permit. But Avid College had not acted upon the warnings.

The MQA on February 17 last year urged all higher education institutions not to conduct accredited programs abroad without obtaining the authority’s permission.

In addition, on September 30, an announcement on the Government Gazette urged institutions to obtain MQA permission under rules on conducting accredited programs abroad.

Avid College has previously been sanctioned by the MQA for irregularities. But the measures were later lifted.