Villa College celebrated its 19th anniversary on Saturday, 17 October 2026, with an evening ceremony at QI Campus Hall. Hosted by Amish Abdulla, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Shariah and Law, and Aishath Malsaa, Vice President of the Villa College Staff Club, the programme opened with welcome and introductory remarks by the Rector, Dr. Ahmed Anwar. This was followed by a video of anniversary wishes from staff and remarks by the Vice Rector, Associate Professor Dr. Ali Najeeb. Over the course of the evening, the College recognised the achievements of individual staff members and departments, unveiled two institutional publications and presented prizes for activities organised by the Staff Club.
The Vice Rector presented the Staff Excellence Awards in five categories, each recognising a distinct area of contribution. The Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to Dr. Afsar Shaik, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Excellence in Research Award to Dr. Saravanakumar Sengottaiyan, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Technology. Raaniya Moosa, Senior Accounts Executive, Receivable, Finance Department, received the Excellence in Customer Service Award, while Nazleela Mohamed, Manager, Admissions, Registration Department, received the Excellence in Support Services Award. The Excellence in Outreach and Marketing Award was presented to Dr. Mano Priya Vijayan, Deputy Dean (Assistant Professor), Faculty of Health Sciences. Together, the categories reflect the range of work that sustains the College, from teaching and research to customer service, support services, and outreach and marketing.
The Employee of the Year Awards were presented in two categories, Academic and Administrative. Before the winners were announced, Dr. Abdulla Sadiq, Deputy Vice Rector, Academic and Student Affairs, presented certificates to the five nominees. The Academic nominees were Liufa Ahmed, Curriculum Developer, Institute for Academic Development; Dr. Saravanakumar Sengottaiyan, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Engineering and Technology; and Salavutheen Noortheen, Lecturer, Centre for Foundation Studies. The Administrative nominees were Riluwan Abdulla, Senior Administrative Executive, Registration Department, and Hawwa Alishan Abdul Hannan, Manager, Corporate Training, Institute for Research and Innovation.
Salavutheen Noortheen was named Employee of the Year in the Academic category and received the award from Dr. Mohamed Adil, Deputy Vice Rector, Research and Innovation. Hawwa Alishan Abdul Hannan was named Employee of the Year in the Administrative category and received the award from Abdul Munnim Mohamed Manik, Deputy Vice Rector, Administration and Finance. Recognising every nominee alongside the two winners acknowledged the strength of the shortlist in both categories.
The Rector presented the VC Diamond Award for Excellence in Quality, which recognises departments according to the score they achieve against the award’s criteria. Departments scoring 80% and above but less than 90% receive the award at Gold level, and those scoring 70% and above but less than 80% receive it at Silver level. This year, the award at Gold level was presented to four departments: the Library, Institute for Academic Development; the Centre for Open and Distance Learning; the Physical Facilities Department; and the Faculty of Health Sciences. The Centre for Foundation Studies received the award at Silver level. This year’s recipients include both academic units and departments that support the wider campus. That spread reflects the principle in the award policy that “Quality is achieved by the combined effort of all departments of the college.”
Some departments and individuals were recognised more than once during the evening. The Faculty of Health Sciences received two Staff Excellence Awards in addition to its Gold award, and the Centre for Foundation Studies, recognised at Silver level, is home to this year’s Academic Employee of the Year. Dr. Saravanakumar Sengottaiyan was also recognised twice, as the recipient of the Excellence in Research Award and as an Employee of the Year nominee.
The programme also included the unveiling of two publications. The Vice Rector unveiled the VC Policy Gazette, Volume 7, Issue 1, with Mariyam Shaha Midhath, Senior Administrative Executive, Rectorate Office. He then unveiled the VC Annual Report 2025 with Anja Abbas, Manager, Planning and Development, Rectorate Office.
Abdul Munnim Mohamed Manik also presented the prizes for activities organised by the Villa College Staff Club. In Villa College Got Talent, first place went to Madara Hiroshini of the Finance Department, second place to Dr. Mohammad Shekaib Alam of the Faculty of Shariah and Law, and third place to Zhan Yang of CLC. In the Beach Clean-up, the Red Team, made up of Nahula, Jyothi, Saeed Ahmed, Ihusan and Mariyam Nihadh, were named Heavy Weight Champions, while the Yellow Team, made up of Hidhaya, Aishath Zaeema, Shekaib and Baiming Ren, were named Plastic Warriors. Mariyam Saula of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies won World Cup Guess the Score. In VC Trivia, a joint team from Registration and Examination took first place, and a joint team from the Centre for Postgraduate Studies and the Institute for Research and Innovation placed second. Aishath Rizna of the Registration Department won Guess the VC Baby.
The evening also featured an anniversary song, the Enchanted Walk and a mash-up dance. Lucky draws were held throughout the programme, and the Best Dressed winners were selected and awarded. Staff then gathered for the 19th anniversary cake-cutting and group photograph, followed by the remaining performances of the Staff Talent Show, led by Dr. Ahmed Ali Didi, Assistant Professor, Centre for Postgraduate Studies.
Villa College congratulates all award recipients, nominees and prize winners, and thanks everyone who contributed to the celebration. As the College enters its twentieth year, the evening was an occasion to recognise the people and teams whose work shapes the institution, and to celebrate the community they build together.
