The Ministry of Education has confirmed that when the new academic year begins on April 6, all schools will have a full complement of teachers and students will receive the required textbooks.

Speaking to state media, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Shifaz Mohamed, explained that ensuring teacher availability each year is a challenge due to some expatriate teachers not returning after their end-of-year holidays. However, he assured that backup teachers are already in place to fill any vacancies.

Shifaz also highlighted that having a full teaching staff at the end of the current academic year has prepared for the next year much smoother. Of the approximately 12,000 teachers in Maldivian schools, over 10,000 are Maldivians, and the Ministry is actively working to further increase this number.

Addressing concerns about textbook availability, Ali Mufeed, head of School Administration at the Ministry, stated that distribution is currently underway across the Maldives. He assured that all students will receive their textbooks before the academic year begins.

The Government has also reversed the previous administration’s decision to start the school year mid-year. The transition back to a January start is set to be completed by 2026.