Enrolment in A-level education up 77%

Enrollments in public schools for A-level education has moved up by 77 percent, according to Education Minister Dr. Ismail Shafeeu.

The Maldives has been seeing a trend of an increasing number of school students – including academically well-performing ones - who choose to skip A-levels and enroll in Bachelor’s Degree programs after doing a one-year foundation course.

The Education Ministry has been urging students to do their A-levels in recent years.

In an address on occasion of the academic new year on Monday, Shafeeu said the Education Ministry ran an A-level expansion pilot program in 23 schools across the atolls last year to expand opportunities for higher secondary education.

Shafeeu said that the initiatives are producing results, with enrollments in public schools for A-levels seeing a 77 percent increase during the last academic year.

“An increase in higher secondary education students will drive the achievement of national development goals. This program will be expanded this year with additional learning pathways,” he said.

He also highlighted on the ‘Cool School’ program launched on June 2, 2024. He said that air conditioning systems will be installed in 3,740 classrooms in public schools across the country by the end of September.

Shafeeu said that the Education Ministry has been implementing changes to reform the structure of its departments and sections to improve educational governance in order to eliminate challenges to implementing educational policies.

“And given the importance of evidence-based policies and decisions for this sector, we will also begin rolling out new educational management system modules developed in light of artificial intelligence and the latest technologies this academic year,” he said.

There are some 90,000 students enrolled in schools across the Maldives this academic year.