Ministry of Education has revealed the academic year of the Maldives will begin in August, starting from this year.
Announcing the decision to commence the academic year in August, Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali said the end-of-school holidays will now fall across June and July, while the two-week semester break will fall towards the end of the calendar year. The minister said the change has been brought following extensive discussions with students, teachers, parents and relevant authorities. She added the change will allow students to make use of internationally available opportunities, while it will also allow parents working in the tourism industry to spend the end-of-school holidays with their families.
Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Education Mohamed Ihsan said the change will also eliminate the six-month void that falls for students who complete their O’Level examinations in October/November and begin their A’Level studies in May/June. He noted A’Level examinations would still be conducted in May/June despite the change to the academic calendar.
Major changes had to be brought to the academic year due to the COVID-19 lockdown imposed last year, which forced schools to be closed. As a result, the second half of the 2020 Academic Year was moved to this year.