Education Minister Dr. Aishath Shiham has stated that it was extremely evident from our history and culture that Maldives had always prided on attaining knowledge and disseminating knowledge.
She made the statement in the official speech released to mark the International Literacy Day.
Dr, Shiham said that there were many historical records detailing on various projects undertaken to broaden Islamic knowledge all across the nation. She also said that the biggest endeavor taken by the Government to further basic education, which was launched on 1st January 1980. At the time of the launch, Government records show that there were 19,215 people who were illiterate, which amounts to 18.3 percent of the population.
She said that the project was divided into two phases. In the first phase, the aim was to reach 100 percent literacy amongst the population and the second phase focused on improving literacy in order to meet societal demands.
In the first 10 years of the project, 2,014 people were declared as illiterate. This amounts to 1.8 percent of the population at that time.
Minister stated that the result was achieved due to the hard work of the Government, the enthusiasm of the teachers who had worked for free and the hard work of the students who had attended the classes. She added that the program was instrumental in changing the ideologies of the nation, which had shaped towards learning and encouraging others, especially the younger generations to learn. Dr. Shiham said that this had expanded towards higher education and more schools in the islands.
Dr. Shiham said that as we mark the literacy day, Maldives had made considerable gains in the educational sector, noting that modern forms of education was widespread. She added that most of the Maldivian students were attaining academic recognition on a global platform.
Minister noted that it was extremely vital that we work in unity to strengthen the efforts to create a nation that was proud of the identity and prioritized on Islamic principles and Maldivian values.
UN introduced the International Literacy Day in 1965, September 8th to raise awareness on the importance of literacy.
Maldives had always loved knowledge, education: Dr. Shiham
