Shiuna, Mariyam and Sodiq, Abdulla (2013) Improving education in the Maldives : stakeholder perspectives on the Maldivian education. UK: Maldives Research.

Preview	PDF WRAP-Improving-education-in-the-Maldives-Shiuna-2013.pdf - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (1714Kb) | Preview
	Other (Permission for archiving published version) Permission for using published version record 91475.docx Embargoed item. Restricted access to Repository staff only Download (12Kb)

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

This research report presents the discussions and findings of the Education Forum commissioned and run by MaldivesResearch. The Education Forum was attended by participants from across the country, representing all education stakeholder groups including teachers, parents, students, Ministry of Education officials and representatives from key businesses in the Maldives. The discussions at the forum were guided by five selected themes related to education in the Maldives:
• Education, Training and Industry: Does Education Meet Employer Needs?
• Qualifications and Quality Control in Education
• School Curriculum
• Language in Education
• Governance and Management of Schools and Colleges

The forum provided an opportunity for stakeholders to voice their concerns and engage with education policy makers in the country. The key findings of the forum conveyed the need for further research and capacity building in a number of key areas.

Raising the quality of education in the Maldives was identified as the biggest challenge due to the inconsistencies in education standards and practices across the country. While some standards are already set in place, further reviews and checks need to be undertaken to ensure the quality of teachers is standardised across the country and the functions and practices of quality control bodies are transparent and independently reviewed.

The opening of the Maldives National University (MNU) is seen as a significant step forward, however the services and resources of MNU should be expanded and strengthened in order to provide students an all-round university experience and to make MNU a better alternative to studying abroad.

Participants highlighted skills development as one of the key areas for improvement. School leavers are often ill-prepared to meet the demands of work environments and are lacking in professional skills. Career guidance and work-based learning were identified as aspects where further investment was needed.

The new national curriculum, although comprehensive and holistic, should keep abreast of the socioeconomic changes in the Maldives. The national curriculum should be subject to periodic review and adequately supported by ensuring resources are available to support teachers. In addition, the curriculum should be more inclusive whereby all student needs, including those with special needs, are taken into account in the planning, implementation and review of the national curriculum.

In relation to discussion on language of instruction in schools, participants were of the view that Dhivehi was widely used in classrooms whilst teaching English medium subjects. Conducting research to assess the impact on primary school pupils of variations in the level of Dhivehi language support provided whilst teaching English medium subjects may be the way forward to address this issue. In addition, teacher training programmes should also be designed to address issues related to mixed language usage in schools.

School boards act as an important channel to feed information from school level stakeholders to policy makers. However, school board functions should be better guided and regulated in order to ensure that they are supported and utilised effectively. Governance training for school managers and school board members is identified as an important measure for capacity building.

This report also provides an overview of the contextual dynamics of the Maldives and a literature review on education in the Maldives in order to present as comprehensive a picture as possible of the issues related to education. The findings and the recommendations provided in the report are presented in the hope that it draws attention to the key issues, and informs and influences policy decisions on improving the education system in the Maldives.

Item Type:	Report
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2361 Curriculum
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for Education Studies (2013- )
Publisher:	Maldives Research
Place of Publication:	UK
Official Date:	March 2013
Dates:	Date Event March 2013 Published
Number of Pages:	54
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)
Copyright Holders:	MaldivesResearch
Date of first compliant deposit:	21 August 2017
Date of first compliant Open Access:	11 September 2017
Funder:	Villa Foundation, Maldives, Iskandhar School, Maldives, Island Aviation, Maldives, Villa Air, Maldives, Dhiraagu, Maldives, Bandos island Resort, Maldives, Coral Hotel and Spa, Maldives, Hulhumale' Sunshine Hotel, Maldives, Air Taxi, Maldives
Open Access Version:	Publisher

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads