Ministry of Education has established a new policy stating that the guests of honor at school ceremonies must be individuals who are role models for students.
In the new policy sent to schools on February 27 and implemented yesterday with the new academic year, the ministry has set new standards for selecting guests of honor.
Previously, schools followed a policy issued on September 8, 2019, which did not specify criteria for selecting guests of honor. However, the new policy states that the person chosen to be honored must be someone accepted by society and who serves as a moral example for students.
Additionally, the policy states that the person must not be under investigation for any criminal offense or be suspected of such crimes. The policy, signed by Minister Dr. Ismail Shafeeu and sent to schools, also specifies that if a person has been convicted of a crime, at least 10 years must have passed since they completed their sentence.
The policy further states that anyone who has been convicted of any form of child abuse or has such a record cannot be a guest of honor at any school ceremony.
The new policy also establishes categories for determining guests of honor.
Guests of honor will be appointed for annual award ceremonies and school anniversaries that are officially celebrated by the ministry with community participation. These include ceremonies marking 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th school anniversaries ceremonies for appointing students to positions, and school graduation ceremonies.
Apart from these annual events, other ceremonies will be held at the school level, according to the policy. Therefore, these anniversary celebrations will be honored by the school principal or someone appointed in consultation with the ministry.
The ministry will appoint individuals to serve as guests of honor at ceremonies marking official days.
Special assemblies, activities showcasing students' special talents, uniform activities, and various competitions at the school level will be honored by the school principal, a principal from another school appointed by the principal, or a professional from the field.
Ceremonies for appointing students to positions and school graduations will be conducted by the school principal.
The policy states that since the heads of the three branches of government, ministers, members of parliament, and foreign ambassadors to the Maldives follow a certain protocol for participating in various activities, invitations to these officials will be issued by the ministry.
The previous policy had established categories for appointing guests of honor. Among these, it was arranged that cabinet ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, boards of government-owned companies, universities, and senior government officials would honor schools that had achieved a 60 percent pass rate in secondary school exit examinations.
Additionally, the policy stated that these officials could be invited to schools that teach higher secondary education or have achieved a 100 percent pass rate in three subjects in secondary school examinations. However, such invitations could only be extended with permission from the ministry.
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