The legal basis

• Constitution of the Maldives, Article 37. Equal remuneration for work of equal value.
• Gender Equality Act (Act No. 18/2016). Equal opportunity and equal pay in employment (English translation).
• Employment Act (Act No. 2/2008). Prohibits discrimination in employment.
• National Pay Policy Act (Act No. 11/2016). Establishes the National Pay Commission and provides for similar pay for similar conditions. Employees of institutions created by an Act of Parliament are public servants for this purpose.

How pay is set

• Pay is attached to the position. Each post has a grade and step on a published scale: the Single Spine Salary Structure (revised 18 September 2025) and the job structures for Academic Professionals, Functional Professionals, Higher Education Managers and Vocational Education Professionals. Staff in the same position are paid the same, apart from step increments earned through service and market adjustments for particular professions that the National Pay Commission decides.
• Appointed posts. The most senior University posts are appointed, not career posts, and are paid at fixed rates. All directors are paid the same.
• Expatriate staff. Their pay follows the same single spine, with housing and food provided under the expatriate employment regulation.

National oversight

The National Pay Commission regularly monitors public pay. Public payroll runs through the Government’s centralised Public Accounts System, which is built on SAP and has a human resources and payroll module, so that use of the published pay framework is tracked centrally.

Tracking pay equity (data year 2025)

The University reviews pay by gender and grade each year. The aggregated results below cover full-time local staff and expatriate staff. Grades with fewer than five staff are grouped to protect privacy.

• 686 local staff: 461 women (67%) and 225 men.
• Mean monthly total pay: women MVR 21,866 and men MVR 22,423, a difference of 2.5%. Median: women MVR 18,698 and men MVR 23,187.
• The overall difference reflects where staff work. 59% of women and 53% of men are on the administrative scale, where pay is lower, so overall averages differ although pay within each grade group is almost identical. The widest gap in any grade group is 1.9%.

• Same position, same pay. 509 staff hold 31 positions held by both women and men, and 496 of them (97%) are paid the most common total for the position. The 13 who differ reflect step increments earned through service or market adjustments for the profession.
• Expatriate staff. 33 expatriate staff, 10 women and 23 men, are paid by position.

Equal opportunity to progress

Increments and promotion follow the Administrative Staff Promotion Policy, which bases them on education and work performance and prohibits discrimination on race, origin, colour, sex, age, disability, political opinion, family or birthplace. The University also applies the Policy on Non-Discrimination Against Women (MNU/UC/2026/10) and the Policy on Women’s Access, Participation and Advancement (MNU/UC/2026/16), which provides for gender-disaggregated monitoring. The Maternity Policy provides that time on maternity leave does not disadvantage an employee in promotion or benefits.

Raising a concern

Staff can write to the head responsible for employment matters about pay or progression, ask the Promotion Board to review a promotion decision within 14 days, lodge a complaint with the Gender Equality Committee about unequal pay, or raise a grievance. The Employment Tribunal is available where a decision is disputed. See the Appeal Process card.

How this is governed

Since the University was established in 2011, pay has been set on the published public sector scales, in compliance with the Constitution, the Employment Act, the National Pay Policy Act and the Civil Service Regulation.

Related Pages and Policies

• Living Wage;
• Workplace Anti-Discrimination,
• Diversity and Inclusion; Appeal Process;
• Expatriate Staff Welfare.
• Policy on Gender Equality Related Complaints,
• Paternity and Parent Support Policy,
• Policy for flexible working arrangements for Pregnant Staff and Staff with Infants.

Sources

• Single Spine Salary Structure;
• Gender Equality Act (English translation);
• Public Accounts System, Ministry of Finance;
• Employment Act (Act No. 2/2008); MNU policies.

Policy owner: Human Resources. Data as at December 2025.