At a meeting held today with principals of Male' area schools, newly appointed Minister of Education Dr Ismail Shafeeu has said that from 2025, the academic year will once again commence in January.
Minister Shafeeu met with the principals of all the schools in Male' and spent over an hour listening to all their concerns.
Academic year has always begun in January in the Maldives in the past. It was changed to begin in August in 2021 after the government took into consideration the Covid 19 pandemic and requests from parents who work in the tourism industry.
The decision, however, continued to be criticized by many, including the general public.
A principal who attended today's meeting spoke to Mihaaru, quoting the minister as saying that commencing the academic year in the middle of the calendar year poses multiple challenges. He is said to have expressed concerns that opening schools at the end of the financial year made it difficult to implement necessary renovations and repairs.
"It was the Minister himself who suggested that the academic year will be changed back to starting in January. He didn't say that he'll attempt to do it, but said strongly that he will get it done," the Principal said, requesting to remain anonymous.
Another principal, also on condition of anonymity, said that the Minister's announcement was met with loud applause from many of the principals who attended the meeting.
"This is something we have really wanted," the principal added.
When the academic year was changed in 2021, the existing academic year was extended to a period of one and a half years. Minister Shafeeu said that the new changes will be implemented only after conducting relevant researches.
Changing the commencement of the academic year to its previous form was also among President Dr Muizzu's campaign pledges.
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