Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali has stated that the government is focused on recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. She made the remarks at the opening ceremony of a workshop held to address the pandemic’s impact on children with disabilities.
The workshop is called Stakeholder Consultations on Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Children with Disabilities and Transforming Education for All Including Young People with Disabilities. It is being held by the Department of Inclusive Education of the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Care Society and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Aishath highlighted the challenges faced in the Maldivian education system during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and said that the government has evaluated the pandemic’s impact on students and is working on recovery. She noted that students had to face the risk of contracting COVID-19 and the obstacles in learning. She added that the education ministry had taken steps to guarantee their right to an education, including allowing online classes and enrolling students with disabilities in individualised education programmes (IEP).
Additionally, Minister Aishath highlighted the support received from parents and teachers in holding online classes but said that the students have been affected, despite the use of technology to further their education. She added that the government is focused on recovering from the setbacks, which includes formulating a learning recovery strategy and providing the necessary training to schools.