NON-STATE ACTORS IN EDUCATION
2.2 Non-state education provision
3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education
- Early childhood care and education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
- Primary and secondary education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
- Tertiary education (Entry/Establishment ○ Financial operation ○ Quality of teaching and learning ○ Equitable access ○ Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability)
3.3 Supplementary private tutoring
Constitution of Maldives states that anyone has the right to form an association or society for economic, social, educational or cultural purposes. The Constitution also refers to the right to education (Art. 36) and the state is to provide free primary and secondary education to all children, and higher education is to be generally accessible to all. In addition, Maldives has a Policy on public-private partnerships in education (2009) which states that the Ministry of Education can enter into partnerships with “qualified private providers” to design and develop new schools and higher education institutions as well as to manage existing schools and institutions, as well as to provide ancillary services. In early childhood care and education (ECCE), the Pre-school Act of 2012 recognises that pre-school can be delivered by local councils, community or private actors. More recently, the Education Act of 2020 refers to private service providers and private-public partnerships.
2.1 State education provision
State schools
In Maldives, the overwhelming majority of schools are state schools (311 of 315 total schools) which include primary education (7 years beginning at 6 years-old), lower secondary education (3 years, beginning at age 13) and upper secondary education (2 years, beginning at age 16). Fourteen years of education, including pre-primary, beginning at age four and all levels until upper secondary education (until age 16), are guaranteed as free and compulsory education, according to the new Education Act (2020, clauses 17-19).
Non-state managed, state schools
No information was found.
Non-state funded, state schools
No information was found.
2.2 Non-state education provision
Independent, non-state schools
No information was found.
State-funded (government-aided), non-state schools
Only a few for-profit private schools exist in the Maldives (4 schools), and three of the four private schools exist in the capital, Malé. They are for-profit although formed under a public-private partnership model which includes government support for infrastructure, land grants and funding for student enrolment (similar to a voucher system).
Historically, community schools played an important role in the education but currently there is only 1 community school in Maldives. However, community schools are a significant proportion of enrollment in early childhood care and education. These schools are managed by both state and community, which could refer to a non-profit community organization or local councils. They are funded by the Ministry of Education and parents who pay fees or fundraise.
Contracted, non-state schools
No information was found.
2.3 Other types of schools
Homeschooling
Homeschooling is not within the formal education system, and evidence was not found whether it exists in the country. In addition, the Education Act of 2020 states that guardians must send their child who is of compulsory age to school starting from preschool education until secondary education (Article 15).
Market contracted (Voucher schools)
No Information was found
Unregistered/unrecognized schools
No information found.
Education in the Maldives is centralized. The Ministry of Education is responsible for primary, secondary and higher education, as well as informal and continuing education. It ensures that quality is being achieved by all schools, and registers, monitors and maintains statistics and records of all types of public and private institutions. The Ministry also aims to facilitate the implementation of the national curriculum through co-curricular and extra-curricular activities in private institutions. Further, the Quality Assurance Department (QAD) sets a Quality Code to measure quality of education. QAD also reviews and monitors the quality of public and private schools, and their activities. This includes ensuring all registered education institutions meet set standards. The Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA) is also responsible for regulating higher education. Further, the Ministry of Higher Education is also responsible for policy implementation in higher education.
Vision: The Education Act of 2020 states that the responsibility of the Ministry of Education is to “grant the opportunity to private parties who wish to be engaged in providing education…” (Art. 13.L). Further, the Education Sector Plan 2019-23 refers to the government’s interest in the role private actors have in the provision of higher education. It also recognizes the role of private actors and their engagement in other levels of education.
3.1 Regulations by distinct levels of education
In the Maldives, early childhood care and education (ECCE) includes nursery classes for children under 4 years-old and pre-primary education for children in lower and upper kindergarten. Most children in nursery education are enrolled in private education (66% of all children in nursery education). The remaining share of children are enrolled in community classes (34%). In pre-primary education, most children were also traditionally enrolled in private and community schools, but statistics from 2020 indicate that 60% of children are enrolled in government schools, 28% of children are enrolled in private schools, and 12% are enrolled in community schools.
Registration and approval: See Multi-level regulations.
Licence: No information was found.
Profit-making: See Multi-level regulations.
Taxes and subsidies: See Multi-level regulations.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: See Multi-level regulations.
Teaching profession: See Multi-level regulations.
Fee-setting: See Multi-level regulations.
Admission selection and processes: See Multi-level regulations.
Policies for vulnerable groups: No information was found.
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Reporting requirements No information was found.
Inspection: See Multi-level regulations.
Child assessment: No information was found.
Sanctions: See Multi-level regulations.
Registration and approval: See Multi-level regulations.
Licence: No information was found.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH): The Ministry of Education is responsible for ensuring that all schools promote good health and the well-being of students by providing information. Further, all schools are expected to follow the standards and Indicators set by the Child-Friendly Baraabu Schools (CFBS) initiative which includes dimensions on health and safety. The safety dimension includes the standards for water and sanitation that schools are required to comply with.
Profit-making: See Multi-level regulations.
Taxes and subsidies: See Multi-level regulations.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: See Multi-level regulations.
Textbooks and learning materials: See Multi-level regulations.
Teaching profession: See Multi-level regulations.
Corporal punishment: Child Rights Protection Act (2019) states the right of the child in the Maldives and includes the responsibilities of the government and parents to protect the child from abuse and harm. However, the document was not accessed due to language. See Multi-level regulations, for additional information.
Other safety measures and Covid-19: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government introduced a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all schools to guide schools on how to respond to the different public health risk levels. See Multi-level regulations, for more information.
Fee-setting See Multi-level regulations.
Admission selection and processes: See Multi-level regulations.
Policies for vulnerable groups: No information was found.
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
School board: School boards in the Maldives are required in all schools. They are responsible for the assessment of the school’s performance, ensure schools follow regulatory requirements, and advise schools on activities, budget matters, the running of the parent-teacher association. They can be composed of parents, the principal, the school’s financial managers, teachers and administrative staff members, and representatives from the parent-teacher association and the Ministry of Education.
Reporting requirements: No information was found.
School inspection: See Multi-level regulations.
Student assessment: The Education Act of 2020 states that the Ministry of Education will put in place “a mechanism to conduct general examinations” (Art. 24). The National Assessment of Learning Outcomes (NALO) assesses literacy and numeracy for grades 4 and 7 in all state schools. These assessments are under the responsibility of the Quality Assurance Department (QAD) while school- and classroom-based assessments are the responsibility of the National Institute of Education (NIE). In addition, there are yearly school completion exams at the end of grades 10 and 12.
Diplomas and degrees: No information was found.
Sanctions: See Multi-level regulations.
In the Maldives, higher education is designed in three tiers or types of institutions: 1. universities which are government funded (2 institutions of this type and both are public), 2. degree granting colleges which include mostly private institutions and 1 public institution, and 3. training institutions which offer short term programs in both private and public institutions.
Registration and approval: The Higher Education Bill (Law no.:7/2021) outlines the registration process higher education institutions must carry out to be established in the Maldives. The Ministry of Higher Education is responsible for this registration process. The Higher Education Bill can be found in Divehi.
Licence: No information was found.
Profit-making: See section on Multi-level regulations.
Taxes and subsidies: See Multi-level regulations.
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: The Maldives National Qualifications Framework (MNQF) defines the qualifications that are offered in the Maldives and provides the framework for understanding learning outcomes and for facilitating quality improvement and assurance.
Teaching profession: Private higher education institutions publish teaching positions on their websites, and the teacher qualifications to teach a course are set as part of the programme approval process as defined in the MQA Guidelines for Programme Approval. National qualifications do not exist. Wages and promotions for teaching profession vary across institutions. No information was found on an accreditation system for teachers.
Fee-setting: While no regulation was found on fee-setting, the government in 2019 decided that it would pay for all students to enter public and private institutions although private institutions can charge additional fees. Further, private institutions have also developed different forms of accessing programmes and courses to improve accessibility to this education level.
Admission selection and processes: See Multi-level regulations.
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Board: No information was found.
Reporting requirements: No information was found.
Inspection: The Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) introduced regulations to manage higher education providers. In 2017, an institutional audit policy was introduced and requires all colleges and universities to provide a self-appraisal as stated by the MQA. This is then followed by an independent panel which evaluates the self-appraisal and provides recommendations. Guidelines and information on the programme accreditation is detailed in the Guidelines for Programme Accreditation (2018).
Assessment: No information was found.
Diplomas and degrees: No information was found.
Sanctions: See Multi-level regulations.
3.2 Multi-level regulations
This section includes regulations referred to in the Education Act of 2020 and the Policy on public-private partnerships in education (2009). Both refer to all education levels.
Registration and approval: All private schools, public-private partnership schools and community schools must register to operate in the Maldives (Art. 31). The Education Act also refers to the registration of educational institutions other than schools, such as ECCE institutions and tuition centres . Education institutions already registered with the Ministry of Education have 2 years from the implementation of the new Education Act (2020) to re-register. The registration requirements and procedure are included in the new regulation but further information could not be found.
Profit-making: No information was found, but for-profit institutions exist at all education levels and are allowed to function in the country.
Taxes and subsidies: Private providers do benefit from the government as indicated in the Policy on Public-Private Partnership (2009).
Quality of teaching and learning
Curriculum and education standards: The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) states what students in the Maldives must achieve from age 4 to 18. This includes defining quality of ECCE, primary and secondary education. State and non-state preschools can use this curriculum and have the flexibility of adding additional components to the curriculum. The NCF contains different key learning areas (e.g., language and communication, mathematics, science and social sciences, Islam and spirituality, among others). It also explains why each learning area is studied and how it is structured.
Furthermore, the Education Act of 2020 states that Dhivehi Language and Islamic Studies will be compulsory subjects for all Maldivian students starting from preschool until the end of higher secondary education.
Textbooks and learning materials: The Government stipulates that as part of providing free education to all children in the Maldives, it also provides textbooks to students in primary, secondary and higher education (Art. 20).
Teaching profession: The Education Act (2020) states that all teachers at all education levels and including tutors, are to be registered and licensed with the Ministry of Education (Art. 37-38). They must have adequate qualifications, and the Ministry establishes the standards for allowances and protections, as well as their responsibilities (Art. 33-34). In addition, the Quality Assurance Department (WAD) is also responsible for developing the ethical standards of the profession in public and private schools.
A Teachers Registration Board will be created to facilitate this and include a board of 5 members: the Registrar, and representatives from the education management profession, in the teaching profession, in education curriculum, and from the child psychology profession (Art. 38). Teachers working within the profession will have 2 years to register with the board and acquire a licence.
Corporal punishment: In addition to the right to education to children, the Education Act 2020 states that “every child has the right to protection from any inhumane or cruel form of punishment…to gain education in an environment which is safe from acts of bullying, harassment and violence” (Art. 6). It also adds that environments should be “free and safe from acts such as bullying and harassment (Art. 23), and every school needs to compile and publish a safety and disciplinary Regulation to ensure the protection of children, teachers and all staff (Art. 28). Teachers are responsible from protecting children (Art. 34) and they or any other member of the school staff will not subject a child “to inhumane and cruel punishment or punishment which may cause physical or mental harm to the child” (Art. 27).
Other safety measures and Covid-19: Teaching from pre-primary to secondary education was done via online classes and television known locally as ‘Telikilaas’ which telecasted lessons. In addition, the government online education platform, Filaa, was another resource for school actors.
Fee-setting: The Education Act 2020 states that the regulation should include policies and guidelines for determining enrolment fees, but no additional information was included (Art. 31 and 36).
Admission selection and processes: The Education Act 2020 states that the regulation should include policies and guidelines on enrolment in education institutions, but no additional information was included (Art. 31 and 36).
Quality assurance, monitoring and accountability
Inspection: The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education, and the related institutions (e.g., Quality Assurance Department, the National Institute of Education and the Maldives Qualifications Authority) are responsible for the quality assurance of education institutions in the Maldives (Art. 39 of the Education Act of 2020). Standardized measuring tools and guidelines, such as the School Improvement Quality Assurance Accountability Framework (2017) help guide the external review process which are carried out by external supervisors and teams which observe schools for about 4-5 days and collect evidence on the teaching and learning practices, compliance and improvement. Interviews with teachers, students and parents are also conducted.
Sanctions: The Education Act of 2020 states that all institutions that are not registered must do so within 6 months of when the Act is implemented (Art. 36), and no teacher will work at a school without being registered (Art. 37). If an education institution functions operates without registration the Ministyr upon receiving a compliant or information int his regard can inspect the institution and shut down the school(Art. 41). Further, the Act states that there are penalties for non-compliance with the directive of the Ministry of Education (Art. 40).
3.3 Supplementary private tutoring
Private tuition centers in the Maldives are defined by the Education Act of 2020 which states that tuition centres aim to clarify and teach lessons that are taught in general education schools. Private tutoring is popular in the Maldives either in the form of individualised tutoring or in small group classes. Statistics from the Quality Assurance Department states that about half of students in Grade 4 stated in 2015 that they obtained daily support from a private tuition teacher. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the private tuition market as movement was restricted and social distancing limited the ability for teachers and students to meet.
Tuition centres are regulated by the Education Act of 2020, and they have two years from the implementation of the Education Act to register with the government. See Multi-level regulations.
Financial operation and quality
No information was found.
Teachers participate in private tuition for supplementary income. See Multi-level regulations for information on regulations referring to private tutors as they are covered by the Education Act (2020) .
