Minister: Diploma-holders should begin teaching instead of waiting for degree to resolve shortage

Education Minister Dr. Ismail Shafeeu, underscoring the importance of teachers having a degree, said Maldives’ situation does not allow for this, adding the shortage of teachers will never be resolved if teachers were required to have a degree to teach.

Education Ministry has consistently raised concerns over the shortage of teachers required for Maldivian schools.

Minister Shafeeu, via a post on Facebook on Wednesday night, provided a detailed picture of the demand for teachers.

In this regard, the Minister said Maldives was facing a disaster of shortage of teachers, noting that in the past, teachers' well-being and job security had been severely overlooked. He also highlighted lack of efforts on a national scale to train teachers in the past, in addition to lack of efforts to encourage school students to pursue teaching as a career.

As a consequence, Minister Shafeeu revealed that at the end of 2023, there was a shortage of more than 600 special educators for students with disabilities, resulting in these students being sidelined.

“Given the shortage of special educators for students with disabilities, it would be more effective to employ teachers entering the education sector with a one-year diploma in the field, rather than opting for individuals with no relevant training. Such individuals should be encouraged to complete their degrees and provided with additional assistance,” he said.

According to the Minister, there are many teachers in the Maldives with just a diploma qualification. He stressed that these teachers are skilled and should not be considered inferior in any way.

Minister Shafeeu pointed out that, according to the teachers' job matrix established in 2022, educators who teach Special Education Needs (SEN) classes and hold a Level Five diploma are eligible for permanent positions.

The Minister further stated that although having a first-degree qualification is important for teachers, the reality in the Maldives makes it impractical to wait three to four years for individuals to attain that level of education before entering the profession.

“This is not the policy followed by some nations facing a shortage of teachers as well. The shortage of teachers in the Maldives will never be resolved by acting on this line of thinking,” he said.

Minister Shafeeu stressed the need to find new solutions to address the teacher shortage in the Maldives, highlighting that teachers should be respected within society. He emphasized the importance of cultivating a culture that values and appreciates educators in order to inspire more individuals to choose teaching as a profession. He noted that this was a greater priority than politics.