Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali has revealed the ministry has no intention of changing the start and end dates of the academic year.
The education minister made the remark in responding to a question by a parliamentarian about whether the government has any intention of changing the academic year.
Replying to a question, the minister said the start of the academic year was postponed to the middle of the year after conducting an extensive study. She added the decision was made because it seemed to be the best option, given the COVID-19 situation. Therefore, the government has no intention of postponing the start of the academic year to the beginning of the calendar year, revealed the minister.
As per the amendments to the school year, 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 change has been made following extensive discussions with students, teachers, parents, and relevant authorities. The government expects the change to allow students to make use of internationally available opportunities, while it also allows parents working in the tourism industry to spend the end-of-school holidays with their families.
Furthermore, in response to the question asked regarding the progress of the new building of the administrative office of the Maduvvari School, Raa Atoll, Education Minister Dr. Aishath Ali said that the project site will be handed over to the contractor to start the work within this month.
The education ministry handed over the construction of the administrative building of Madducari School to Badhahi Investment Private Limited to complete within one year.