Mandhu college was  established in 1998 by its founder, Ibrahim Ismail. As one of the most distinguished educators in the country, Ibrahim brought his knowledge and vast experience to the College. In his work in various capacities in the education system, he realized that there were a great number of students completing secondary school in the Maldives who could not access further education due to financial constraints, lack of available places in the government institutes or due to poor performance at secondary school exams. He then set out to establish this institution, mainly to provide opportunities for those children who were missing out. In the past 20 years, his dream has been realized to a great extent. Thousands of children have pursued different courses at the College, and are now productive people in the community. Among the many notable contributions of Mandhu College, one which stands out is that the College has produced over 1,000 primary and secondary school teachers.

          In 2013, Ibrahim was awarded the University of Canberra Distinguished Alumni Award for his outstanding contribution to Maldivian Education and promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in the country.

        Mandhu College has always benefited by its founder’s keen interest in the development of Maldivian society. Under his able guidance, the College has shaped its programmes to serve the needs of the community. The College offers conversion Degrees in teaching for teachers who seek to upgrade their skills. The most recent additions to the College’s courses are its Master of Education, Master of Business Administration and Diploma in Public Administration programmes.

          The founder’s emphasis on the quality of education and his non-compromising stand on this issue has ensured that the students who graduate from the College are well educated and well trained and ready to meet the most challenging of situations. The Founder always promoted a vision for the College where Mandhu College will provide opportunity for learning to anyone who seeks to further his or her knowledge and skills and that the College will stand proudly amongst the top ranking educational institutions in the South Asian region.

          In his quest to provide access to higher education, he persevered for over 9 years to develop and launch a Virtual Learning Platform for higher education. Today, the college and the nation benefits from his visionary approach to education by ensuring access to higher education in all corners of this nation with scattered populations across 200 islands.