EFA 2000: Literacy Assessment Maldives
EDUCATION FOR ALL: THE YEAR 2000 ASSESSMENT
COUNTRY REPORT
BY
Maldives
Ministry of Education
Male’
Republic of Maldives
31st October 1999
[This is an excerpt of country report containing relevant sections on literacy and non-formal education.]
Downloaded from Asia-Pacific Literacy Data Base (http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase).
MALDIVES
EFA: 2000 ASSESSMENT GROUP
Chairman: Mr. Abdul Hameed Abdul Hakeem,
Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education
National Co-ordinator: Mr. Ahmed Ali Didi, Deputy Director / MOE
Members: Mr. Musthafa Luthfee, Director General / MOE
Dr. Mahamood Shaugee, Chief Educational Supervisor / MOE
Ms. Zahiya Zareer, Director / MOE
Mr. Abdul Raheem Hassan, Deputy Director / NFEC
Mr. Mohamed Shihab, Deputy Director / MOE
Mr. Mohamed Musthafa Hussain, Assistant Director / NFEC
Mr. Mohamed Waheed, Research Analyst / MOE
Mr. Abdulla Ibrahim, Assistant Research Officer /MOE
Mr. Ahmed Zareer, Senior Computer Programmer / MOE
Secretariat: Mr. Musthafa Thamyeez, Computer Programmer (Trainee), MOE
Ms. Hindh Ali, Data Processing Officer (Trainee), MOE
Ms. Fathmath Razeena, Secretary, MOE
Mr. Mohamed Ali, Computer Programmer (Trainee), MOE
Part I
Education and Socio-Economic Background
…..
1.4 Education
…. Development is seriously constrained by lack of qualified manpower. While the country has a high literacy rate and has nearly universalised primary education, there is an acute shortage of people whose educational attainment is above the basic levels of literacy and numeracy. Unless this constraint is overcome Maldives will remain dependent upon the use of expatriate labour.
…..
22
EFA 2000: Literacy Assessment Maldives
PART II
EFA: STATUS AND TRENDS
2.1 Goals, targets and strategies
…..
2.1.5 Non-formal education
There are youth and adults who have not been able to profit from the formal education system. But opportunities are provided to them through non-formal education. Provision is made for youth and adults who could not attend formal schools, to complete the extended basic education at an accelerated rate. Under the Condensed Education Programme (CEP) being implemented by the Non-formal education Centre (NFEC), out-of-school youth and people beyond the school age can complete the Grades 1 – 7 in three years corresponding approximately to Grades 1-3, 4-5 and 6-7 respectively. The course is usually offered at an Atoll Education Centre and is usually taught by primary teachers in the evenings. The NFEC has produced books and curriculum materials for the CEP for which the demand is quite high. The CEP serves a unique role in preparing atoll students for teacher training, secondary education and for vocational training opportunities.[1]
Apart from the programme mentioned above, the NFEC conducts courses in Thaana and Arabic Calligraphy, Dhivehi and Thaana typing at the Centre in Male. In addition, several short skills development courses are conducted every year in the atolls in collaboration with Atoll Education Centres, atoll schools and community-based NGOs. Courses conducted include: Embroidery and Sewing, First Aid, Carpentry, Undertakers Course, Calligraphy and Lettering. The NFEC also runs short courses on pre-school teaching especially for atoll personnel who are engaged in pre-school education. Since the inception of this course in 1990, 432 people have been trained of whom 381 are women. The NFEC also publishes a monthly magazine, “Community News” which is distributed free to all the islands. This was started in 1978 and has since been carried out without a break. It carries articles on a wide range of topics of interest for the youth and adults.
There are several institutions in Male’ which, among their other more formal courses, cater to the needs of youth and adults with a basic education or sometimes only with functional literacy skills. The Institute of Health Science conducts a 6-month course for Family Health Workers where the entry qualification is grade 7. However, the Family Health Workers are due to be replaced by Community Health Workers for whom the entry qualification is grade 10.
The Institute of Hotel and Catering Services runs several short courses ranging from
6 days to 4 months in such areas as Commercial Cookery, House-keeping Skills, Pastry Work, Health Safety and Hygiene. There are altogether 11 such courses where the only entry qualification asked for is “experience”.
The Maldivian Institute of Technical Education conducts a variety of 1-year courses in areas such as marine and automobile engineering, building construction, electronics, welding and refrigeration where the entry qualification is grade 7. They also have the
following short courses where the entry qualification is "functional literacy”: Safe usage and basic maintenance of domestic electrical appliances (16 days); Domestic electrical installation and maintenance (28 days); Domestic plumbing (21 days); Fibre craft (21 days); Power generator maintenance (21 days)
Educational programmes particularly in the fields of population and health education have been the regular features of the non-formal education system. Population education programmes have been targeted at students of primary and secondary schools, out-of-school youth, teachers and community leaders and adults. Where school children are concerned, the strategy is the integration of population education into Environmental Studies (at Primary level), Social Studies (at middle school level) and Dhivehi language and Islamic Studies (at secondary level) textbooks. The integration of family education concepts into the school and teacher training curriculum and emphasizing parent education in the training of teachers were also a part of the strategy.
…..
2.2 EFA: Plan of action
The Educational and Human Resource Development Plan 1985 – 1995 stated explicitly the intention of the Maldives to provide universal basic education and extend it to a period of seven years. Hence no particular need was felt to adopt a special strategy or plan of action. The normal policy reviews and planning exercises were already in place and addressing the issues and were considered adequate to meet the requirements of the World Declaration on Education for All. Among the goals which have been listed in this Plan are the following:
To promote social justice and equity by ensuring universal primary education and equal educational opportunity for all citizens.
To promote in individuals a spirit of independence and self-reliance such that they may seek to enhance the quality of life by seeking ways and means of improving their own health, nutrition and well-being.
To provide life-long education for all citizens so that each individual becomes a self-learner and continues to apply his intellectual capacity; technical skills and learn to cope with new technologies and discoveries and develop an appreciation and understanding of changes now occurring in the social and economic life in Maldives.
Plan of action for the education sector includes the
1) Development of a unified national basic and extended basic system combined and harmonized with literacy and adult education;
2) Development of infrastructure support for education: curriculum development, teacher training, textbook and material production, physical upgrading of schools, and non-formal education programmes including education radio and television;
3) Expansion of the capacity of Atoll Education Centres (AECs) and Atoll Primary Schools (APSs) to accommodate grades 1 to 7;
4) Enlargement of the capacity and upgrade the quality and relevance of private and community schools;
5) Utilization of all means of non-formal and formal education to achieve universal basic and extended basic education in a cost-effective manner;
6) Pursuing of a financial policy which promotes a more equitable distribution of basic education opportunities;
7) Encouragement and promotion of the expansion of early childhood care and education;
8) Sustenance of the high literacy rate by conducting functional literacy programmes for new literates.
9) Expansion and diversification of non-formal education programmes to develop essential skills required by youth and adults, and
10) Strengthening of the Educational Media Section of the Educational Development Centre (EDC) to develop effective programmes to supplement and enhance formal and non-formal education.
These specific strategies have, by and large, been followed since then. The high priority placed on education by the Government and the public has facilitated the implementation of these strategies. This is reflected in the support extended by the communities to establish formal schooling. The increasing assistance from the government, utilizing foreign assistance as well, has led to a quantitative and qualitative improvements in the physical infrastructure thus enabling the enrollment of more pupils in better schools. Government has also provided more and better teachers to the atolls though much remains to be done to reduce the regional imbalances.
…..
2.5.9 The Literacy Programme:
The Literacy and Neo Literacy Programme, which seeks to create an educated citizenry through achieving universal literacy for adults stems from a growing awareness on the part of the planners that no meaningful development can take place without the informed, intelligent and meaningful participation of the masses who are seen not only as the beneficiaries but also as the agent of the process or change. With the belief that basic education of the masses is a necessary precondition for development, a national programme for literacy a nationwide six-year programme of functional literacy was formulated and announced by the President on 1st January 1980.
This programme was launched on 24th February 1980. In 1986, a comprehensive review was undertaken, after which Atoll-wise elimination of illiteracy was decided. Non-formal education Centre that is one of the professional branches of the Ministry of Education, delivers literacy training in one atoll a year through a network of volunteers identified by the atoll chief. The volunteers provide one-to-one instruction for a two-month period in basic reading, writing, and mathematical skills. At the end of the tutorial period, the students take the literacy test.
When the programme was launched, the literacy rate was estimated at 70%. At the policy level, the programme was overseen by a national council headed by the President; and at the administrative level it was managed and monitored by the Ministry of Education and by the Atoll Chiefs and the Island Chiefs. This ensured that the entire Government machinery was dedicated to its support. By the time Jomtien Conference took place, the literacy rate had reached 90%. The one-atoll-a-year process is still in progress, and will be continued till the present 98.84% reaches 100%. The following table (Table 19) from the report of the national census of 1990, gives the position with respect to literacy in various atolls.
Table 19: Literacy rates (Age group: 10-45 ) for the atolls of Maldives, 1990
Atolls / Total / Male / FemaleRepublic / 90.50 / 90.00 / 91.00
Male’ / 96.00 / 95.60 / 96.10
Atolls / 88.40 / 87.40 / 89.30
South Huvadhu Atoll / 93.80 / 92.60 / 94.80
Male’ Atoll / 92.50 / 93.40 / 90.30
Mulakatholu / 92.40 / 91.20 / 93.50
Addu Atoll / 92.30 / 90.30 / 93.70
Faadhippolhu / 92.10 / 92.40 / 91.70
Foamullah / 91.80 / 90.20 / 93.30
Felidhe Atoll / 91.20 / 91.80 / 90.40
South Maalhosmadulu / 91.20 / 90.40 / 92.00
North Nilandhe Atoll / 90.30 / 89.50 / 90.90
North Huvadu Atoll / 90.00 / 89.40 / 90.50
Kolhumadulu / 88.90 / 87.00 / 90.60
Ari Atoll Uthuru Gofi / 88.10 / 87.70 / 88.60
North Maalhosmadulu / 87.20 / 85.80 / 88.50
North Thiladhunmathi / 86.80 / 84.40 / 88.90
South Thiladhunmathi / 85.00 / 83.70 / 86.10
North Miladhunmadulu / 84.80 / 83.30 / 86.10
South Nilandhe Atoll / 83.00 / 80.90 / 85.00
South Miladhunamadulu / 83.00 / 81.60 / 84.20
Hadhdunmathi / 81.60 / 80.00 / 83.10
Ari Atoll Dhekunu Gofi / 79.10 / 78.20 / 80.00
Source: Chaudhury, Rafiqul Huda, and et.al. Analytical Report on the 1985 and 1990,
Population and Housing Census of Maldives.
The Table 19 shows that as of 1990, the country as a whole had a literacy rate slightly over 90% with the rate for the females being higher. It is only 3 atolls that have a higher rate for the males. Of the 20 atolls, 10 have a rate higher than 90%, 9 have a rate between 80 and 90% with the lowest being 79.1. At the beginning of 1990 therefore Maldives was in a very favourable position with respect to literacy.
The analysis referred to above examines the limitations of the census data on literacy. It was not feasible to carry out an actual test and there could be a response bias over-estimating the actual literacy position. The analysis makes the following comment.
Since 1990, the country has concentrated on removing the illiteracy. Teachers in the atolls were expected to conduct literacy classes when they were not teaching in school. Special directives were given by the Ministry of Education in this regard. Each teacher including the head of the school was requested to conduct at least one literacy class. The present position is that if any illiterate requests literacy instruction it has to be provided. It is mandatory. Special instructions have been issued in this regard. The Table 15 gives the literacy rates as of 1997.
Figure 15: Literacy Rate 1997
Two points are clear from the above tables: First, the ratio of literacy is high through out the country. Second, there exist not much gender difference in literacy. However, all this refers to ‘crude’ literacy of 3 r’s. Information on the magnitude of functional literacy is lacking. On the whole, the contribution of the indigenous system was such that Maldivians were already a highly literate people by the time international attention were focussed on illiteracy. Gender Differences were also not significant. The policy focus as regards to adult education was to eliminate the marginal illiteracy and provision of post-literacy and continuing education facilities using the non-formal modes for improving the quality of life.
2.5.10 Non-formal education: Expansion of basic education and training in other essential skills required by youth and adults
A system on non-formal education and training was developed during the 1950s in response to the widespread literacy needs of those Maldivians with little or no access to schooling. The Non-formal education Unit was established in 1979 in the Ministry of Education’s Education Development Centre to plan, implement, and evaluate literacy activities broadly defined. The mission is “to enhance the quality of life of the Maldivian people by providing self-developmental opportunities to those who miss regularly formal education through strategically selected programmes of community and adult education and to empower members of the community with the skills needed for productive employment and advancement.” The objective stated for the fourth plan (1994 – 1996 ) continue to be relevant, which are as follows: