Official school uniforms to be changed from 2027

The government has decided on four colours to be used in government school uniforms, with these colours to be adapted in uniforms from 2027 onwards. 

Minister of Education Dr Ismail Shafeeu told Mihaaru News that after a transitional period of one year, uniforms will be changed to four specific colours. The four colours are red, green and white, as on the Maldivian national flag, and the Education Ministry's colour, blue. 

Schools can choose to have the uniform shirts in a colour of their choosing from among these four options. Pants or skirts must be black or blue. 

The minister noted that, given the colours already used in schools, adopting these four would mean 90 percent of schools would not need to change their uniforms. 

"The school will decide whether their uniform shirt will be white, or light green, or light red. In this way, there's a choice of two colours for pants as well," the Minister explained. 

Students from Grade 1 onwards are now required to wear neckties. However, during discussions on uniform policy changes, most principals recommended that ties be mandatory only from Grade 7 (Key Stage 3) onwards. The ties will match the colour selected for each school's uniform. 

The minister further stated that with the policy changes, female students will have a wider array of uniform options to choose from. This includes the option to tuck in their shirts or leave the shirt loose, and the option to wear skirts or pants.

"The schools will choose the uniform. With this, female students will get a lot of options," Minister Shafeeu said. 

Minor changes will also be brought to the activity uniforms. 

The minister said that the decision to bring changes to uniforms is in response to rising concerns from schools and parents. With the proposed changes, uniform prices will come down, taking away the risk of businesses monopolizing uniform sales.