A Look on the Efforts of Ministry of Education in Ensuring Efficient Continuation of Studies for the Upcoming Times

On Sunday, the Ministry of Education held a press conference at the Health Emergency Operations Center to brief the public regarding the ongoing efforts by the Ministry to ensure that education continues without interruption in these trying times. The conference was held by Minister of Education, Dr. Aishath Ali, Deputy Minister of Education, Mohamed Ihusan, and Minister of State for Education, Dr. Abdulla Rasheed Ahmed.  
 
Looking back on the past year, numerous efforts were put into producing qualified teachers to create a sufficient remote learning environment with the closure of schools and changing to online classes. This included training of over 3000 teachers from around the Maldives to adapt to online teaching when sessions were switched from in-class to at-home learning. 4000 teachers attained Google Certified Educator Training while 11 teachers completed training on teaching on Television which was recognized by UNESCO with awarding Certificate of Excellence to the program. Currently, ‘Digital Teacher Program’ is ongoing for 1000 teacher participants, conducted in collaboration with UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development.  

 
As the ongoing term concludes on June 24, 2021, a final exam is given to students in Grade 7 and upwards. Since a number of islands and the Greater Male’ Region are under strict restrictive measures, a teacher-based exam will be given to students in these regions to evaluate their level of competence and provide support in the following year accordingly. Schools on other islands will conduct a physical paper-based exam for students alternatively.  
 
Examinations for O’Level and A’level students commenced in May in line with the safety guidelines provided by HPA. With the recent adjustments brought to A’Level exams, most students will be sitting for their exams in October/November. 14 schools will continue the exam on set earlier dates with teacher-based assessments for students who chose the option. On the other hand, O’Level exams are ongoing in designated halls in schools until June 11, 2021.  
 
Minister of Education, Dr. Aishath Ali stated that all islands on monitoring status will conduct classes online. Facilities have been arranged through Dhiraagu and Ooredoo to provide broadband internet to students at affordable rates for online learning. Moreover, a specialized platform for students have been created through a learning management system and it has passed the testing stages. This platform is designed to consume less data for operation and will be put in use from August onwards.  

 
The Ministry is currently sorting out the administration work to commence the academic year of 2021. In this regard, the ministry will start answering the application forms for new students from June 6 onwards. The distribution of school books to schools in Greater Male area and the islands are ongoing, as observed by Minister Aishath Ali in her visit to the facility. The Ministry aims to complete the distribution of books by June 24.  
 
The highlight fo the conference was on the Minister’s urge to take care of the mental wellbeing of the students as a priority and responsibility of education providers. She encouraged parents to plan a schedule for students while at home and allocate timings every day dedicated to studying. The added pressure of staying home without physical classes could stress out the students hence facilitating a healthy routine including playtime and relaxation is the responsibility of parents.  
 
Further, every school is equipped with at least one staff who is trained for Psychological First Aid Provision to assist students who require mental health support. With the assistance of a number of stakeholders including UNICEF, both students and teachers who need mental health support will be given professional support.  
 
Even though the pandemic times have been challenging, the Ministry assured that work is going smoothly to facilitate the continued education without interruption.