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Education in Maldives |
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Most children are still educated in privately owned schools, "Makthab", run by
an Islamic teacher. From the age of three, children can be seen in a large room or under a
tree learning to write with a wooden board "Voshi Filaa", covered in fine sand
on which they trace their letters with a stick, or to recite sections from the
Qur'an.
They are taught to read and write Dhivehi and some Arabic, as well as to do simple
arithmetic. For centuries this was the only schooling available. Fortunately, today there
are new government primary schools in the outer atolls, quite a few built with the help
from the Japanese. Schools so new that many of the headmasters are recent graduates.
Standards are high. By the age of 7 children are expected to speak and write in three
languages with three different alphabets Dhivehi, Arabic and English. At present the
emphasis on Arabic and English is about equal. |
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The traditional system of education that has evolved for centuries composed of three types of institution: Kiyavaage, Makthab, and Madharsaa. Madharsaa usually expanded the curriculum to include more subjects such as literacy skills. This system deserves credit for the high (93% in 1986) literacy rate of The Maldives. Most of the Makthabs teach the young to read and write Dhivehi and Arabic as well as simple arithmetic. Continuous research in upgrading the curriculum goes on. A new national curriculum for primary and middle schools was designed and introduced in 1984. This curriculum incorporate environmental studies, science, Dhivehi language, mathematics, English language, fine arts, physical education and calligraphy. |
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The main secondary schools are in Male'. "Majeediyya School" for boys and
"Aminiyya School" for Girls, and "Science Education Center" for
A-Level Students. Five Primary Schools, four schools, one in each ward or district also
run by the government. There are three private schools, which teaches in English up to 'O
Level' and two government Arabic schools. Students go abroad for University education. But
for most, the island on which they were born remains the center of their world. There is
no word in Dhivehi for "village" or "town", only for
"island" (rah). |
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| Past Talks about Education of/in Maldives |
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The large number of widely dispersed, small, island populations greatly increase the cost of providing educational services and the necessary infrastructure. A town or city with a population of 380 thousand could be serviced by a single university, a few secondary schools and a limited number of primary school. A similar provision in the Maldives with its population scattered over 200 islands would not be practical. The inherent constraints imposed by distant and small populations adversely affect the provision of infrastructure facilities and services. The inability to achieve even minimum economies of scale makes uneconomic the operation of not only small scale economic activities but also secondary schools, post secondary institutions and institutions of higher learning. Transport within the Maldives is expensive. It is costly because of the distances involved, because of the small amounts of goods entering into trade and the small number of people wishing to travel which makes scheduled transport service uneconomic and also because coral reefs and the absence / lack of harbour facilities often make the loading and unloading of merchandise difficult. Development is seriously constrained by lack of qualified manpower. While the country has a high literacy rate and has nearly universalised primary education, there is an acute shortage of people whose educational attainment is above the basic levels of literacy and numeracy. Unless this constraint is overcome Maldives will remain dependent upon the use of expatriate labour. |
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The Maldives has had a long history of semi-formal religious based education for the masses and this is reflected in the continued high social demand for modern-day education. The traditional system consisted of children gathering in homes called ‘edhuruge’ to learn the Holy Quran, Dhivehi language, and the Arabic script and to learn to recite the Noble Quan. The first challenge to this traditional system occurred in 1927 with the establishment of the first government school in Male’. This school was first limited to the education of boys but later in 1944 a section was opened for girls and young women. Instruction in this school covered Dhivehi language, Islam, Arabic and Arithmetic. Under the leadership of the President of the nation’s First Republic, significant educational development took place in the 1940’s and early 1950’s. By 1945 each inhabited island had a traditional school (maktab) providing instruction at the lower primary level. |
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A dramatic change in the education system occurred in 1960 when the government introduced two English medium schools in Male’ as a part of a conscious effort to prepare its citizens to meet the increasing development needs of the nation. However, this resulted in two distinct forms of education systems existing side by side and as a result, the traditional system was relegated to a second-level status. But until recently government schooling has been concentrated mainly in Male’. |
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The most recent historic development in education in the Maldives occurred in 1978, with the decision to move to a unified national system of education and to promote a more equitable distribution of facilities and resources. The policy focus was on providing Universal Basic Education for All and thus the strategies involved the formulation of a unified curriculum for Grades 1-7, improvement of teacher training and the establishment and upgrading of new schools in the atolls. Two government schools (one Atoll Education Centre (AEC) and one Atoll School (AS) were established in each atoll and today these schools represent the availability of high quality basic education for the children in their locales. |
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Recent educational development of the country in characterized by rapid increase in enrollment and number of educational institutions. During this period, the provision of basic education remained the main priority of the sector for a number of years. In this respect, many schools have been newly constructed, a national curriculum has been introduced, textbooks and teacher guides have been developed for all the basic education grades (grades 1-7). |
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School enrolment has risen rapidly (from 15,000 in 1978 to 101,081 in 1999) and education's share of total Government expenditure in the last 5 years has been an annual average of 11.4 per cent. Access to primary education (grades 1-5) has been universalised. Present plans for education emphasise the universalisation of 7 years of basic education, expansion of secondary education, strengthening educational management information system, increasing curricular relevance, establishing national capacity for secondary teacher education and post- secondary education and the strengthening of partnerships with parents and the community to support educational expansion and development. Adult literacy rate is over 98%. (www.unesco.org/.../maldives/rapport_1.html) |
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| Present Talks about Education of/in Maldives |
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Maldives' Minister for Education Dr Mustafa Lutfi said they were seeking head teachers familiar with the English curriculum in order to boost standards in schools on some of the country's 200 inhabited islands.
Dr Lutfi says that while 12 to 15% of the government's budget is spent on education, an average of only one in three students obtains five O-levels at grade C and above.
"Currently our standard is poor compared to the money we spend on education," he told the BBC. "We want foreign professionals to come and help us turn our schools around."
The move is part of a wider strategy by the government, which came into power in November, to improve education, which also includes the privatization of some schools. |
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"Previous education policies centralized schools and colleges in the capital, Male, where one third of the country's population live. We need to give the other two thirds similar access to high quality education," Dr Lutfi said.
Head teachers with three years experience will be offered a monthly salary of 10,000 Rufiyaa (£523) and accommodation, and will teach in one of the country's 227 schools.
The head of Teachers' Link, the country's teaching association, Abdullah Mohamed, said he supported the move but said the government must also priorities training for Maldivian teachers.
President Mohamed Nasheed, who was elected in October in the country's first multiparty polls, studied in the UK. Maldives' schools have used an English curriculum since 1960. |
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Excellent Primary Enrolment, Low Achievement: Almost all children in the Maldives receive primary education, and almost everyone is literate. But the quality of education is still quite low, and children have few opportunities to actively participate in their learning and to develop more enquiring minds. This is largely due to the fact that the national curriculum is not based on participatory learning methods. Over 30 per cent of teachers in the Maldives are untrained, with many islands having up to 100 pupils per trained primary teacher. There are many barriers to training, transport primary among them. Up to 80 per cent of staff training costs are transport-related. |
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