Former Education Minister Dr. Aishath Ali expressed concern over the changes made to the academic year that has resulted in current Grade 8 students having to sit their O’ Level exams next year.
With the new changes made to the academic calendar, Grade 8 students will start studying the O’ Level syllabus starting next week. At the end of the year they will sit for their exams.
Traditionally, the academic new year in Maldives started in January. However, following the Covid-19 pandemic, the academic year was shifted to start in the middle of the year, while Dr. Aishath Ali was Minister of Education. The current administration has decided this change is not in the benefit of teachers or students and have decided to shift it back to as it was starting from January of 2026.
Speaking on the matter of current Grade 8 students sitting for their O’ Level examinations at the end of next year, she said not teaching them for one term and preparing them to sit these exams was not a good decision.
She said the years students spend in Grade 7 and 8 are important for their future.
“Grade 7 and 8 make them familiar with the subjects of all streams and assist them in choosing a stream in Grade 9. And this is an important thing to study for their future. All aspects of the curriculum are intertwined,” former Minister Dr. Aishath Ali said.
She said this change made by the current administration by disregarding the syllabus will affect students negatively as they will not be caught up.
She noted the two years students spend preparing for O’ Levels are very stressful years and there was no situation in Maldives that called to accelerate this process for the students.
“Covid-19 has also had a huge impact on the mental and social development of the students. Once again, putting such a burden on the same students is likely to make them bear the adverse effects of it for the rest of their lives,” she said.
"One of the main reasons for the decision to extend the academic year during the previous government was to allow them to overcome the learning difficulties faced by them due to Covid. It is important that parents, teachers and educators understand this change," she said.
Former Minister of State for Education Athiya Naseer, who supported the minister’s statement, also said that removing six months from the students’ academic career from the students who are currently studying in Grade 8 would be a huge loss to them.
“Grade 8 teaches students parts of science, business and arts streams. It is essential for students to know the field they want to pursue and choose the stream,” she said.
“It is also important to complete the eighth grade because the child who chooses each stream has to know the knowledge and skills (e.g., business/economic skills for the science student) from other streams in life.”
Athiya said this was backed by studies.
"A building gets stronger because the foundation is also strong. Sacrificing these six months will have an adverse impact on these students in many ways. This is a decision that will work against preparing students for life, which is the essence of the national scene," she said.
However, the current Education Minister Dr. Ismail Shafeeu said the change would be a big relief for students studying in Grade 8. This is because Grade 8 students will get two years to prepare for the O’ Levels, the minister said, instead of the year they used to get as per the earlier practice.
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