Baros Island Member Since 1973
Partner Ministry/Organization Maldives Qualifications Authority Recent Programs Held 2018: In-Country Program on Entrepreneurship Development in TVET (Apr 8-12) 2017: (1) In-Country Program on Effective Teaching Methodologies (Online Delivery) (Apr 9-12); (2) In-Country Program on Entrepreneurship Development in TVET (Apr 8-12) 2015: In-Country Program on “Strategies for the Promotion of TVET”, and National Seminar on “Innovative Practices and Strategies for Improving Capacity of the TVET Systems in Maldives” (Apr 5-9) 2014: In-Country Program on Competency-Based Education and Training (CBE&T) (Mar 23-27) 2013: Special In-Country Program on Champion Leaders Development Program For TVET Skills For Poverty Alleviation (Mar 31 - Apr 4) 2011: In-Country Program on Competency-Based Training and Assessment (Jun 12-16) Address of Embassy/Consulate in Manila Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Maldives No. 1 Sta. Escolastica Street corner Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, Philippines |
Official Name
Republic of Maldives
Land Area
298 km2 (115 sq mi) (206th)
Population
543,617 (173rd)
Capital
Male (est. pop. 103,693)
Largest Cities
Fuvahmulah (est. pop. 11,140)
Hithadhoo (est. pop. 9,927)
Kulhudhuffushi (est. pop. 9,500)
Thinadhoo (est. pop. 6,376)
Hithadhoo (est. pop. 9,927)
Kulhudhuffushi (est. pop. 9,500)
Thinadhoo (est. pop. 6,376)
Country Borders
N/A
Religion/s
Islam
Major Languages
Divehi (Maldivian)
Demonym
Maldivians
National Holidays
26 July 1965 (Independence from the United Kingdom)
Education Basic Facts
No. of Years of Primary Education
7
Major Universities
Maldives National University
Primary School Enrollment (Total)
98.04% (UNESCO, 2019)
Tertiary School Enrollment (Total)
34.1% (UNESCO, 2019)
Ministry/ Ministries Supervising Education
Ministry of Education
Education as % of GDP
4.1 % (UNESCO, 2019)
TVET
Agency Handling TVET
TVET Authority, Maldives Polytechnic
Formal TVET System
TVET in Maldives was initiated as a department in Ministry of Human Resources, Youth and Sports in 2007, and funded through an ADB project. Since then, TVET has transformed into the TVET Authority under the Ministry of Education in 2010, and is now the national regulatory body of the TVET programs conducted in the Maldives.
The Maldives skills based training delivery is comprised of 2 choices for a Two Track, Demand Driven TVET System. Institution Based training and Employer Based Training are equally recognized pathways or tracks to develop a career based on skills training.
Figure 1. The Two Track Demand Driven TVET System of Maldives
Note. Figure reprinted from UNESCO, by Noordeen. Retrieved from https://unevoc.unesco.org/up/Maldives_Country_Paper.pdf
The country relies on two systems to regulate and implement TVET:
- First is the Maldives Polytechnic and the TVET Authority in Maldives. In an attempt to increase skill based trainings, a skill training program named “Dhasvaaru” has been introduced to 12 schools, and in 2015, TVET system was introduced in schools all over Maldives.
- Other initiatives to further integrate the youth into the TVET system come from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Tourism. A tripartite cooperation tapped the involvement of the tourist resorts and introduced a program named “Step” to train more youths for employment in the tourism industry.
Figure 2 illustrates the impact of the introduction of TVET into schools nationwide, as TVET graduates, particularly female, have increased extraordinarily since 2015.
Figure 2: Number of TVET Graduates Sorted Based on Gender
Note. Figure reprinted from National Vocational Qualifications and Certifications System of Maldives, by Riyaz. Retrieved from National Vocational Qualification Systems of CPSC Member Countries 2017, CPSC.
Qualification Framework
Maldives National Qualifications Framework (MNQF)
The Maldives Accreditation Board (MAB) was created by a Presidential Decree in 14th August 2000 and renamed as Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) on 17th May 2010.
MQA’s mandate is to assure the quality of post-secondary qualifications awarded in recognition of educational attainments. Thus, a framework called the Maldives National Qualifications Framework (MNQF) was developed in 2001.
The Maldives National Qualification Framework is a framework targeted to incorporate the elements of the academic pathway and the vocational pathway. For example, a student having a certificate level 3 in Academic field can join a program of certificate level 4 in Vocational field. As well as, a student having a certificate level 4 in Vocational field can join a program of certificate level 5 in Academic field. The process of revising the MNQF V1.0 began in 2005, and after extensive research and discussions with experts and concerned authorities, the process was completed in February 2009 to form the revised MNQF V2.0; (generally referred to as “MNQF 2009”) and came into effect when MAB formally endorsed it in September 2009.
The shift from a ‘time-based’ to a ‘competency-based’ system is one of the fundamental features of the strengthened framework. In the MNQF V2.0, quality and content were given precedence over duration and hours. The MNQF V2.0 also incorporated a broader and more coherent technical and vocational qualification.
Levels of NVQS
The Maldives Qualification Framework has 10 levels. As mentioned in the MNQF, each level has a defined entry criteria which a student must fulfill in entirety to gain admission. The table below describes the different MNQF levels, their Qualifications, and entry criteria.
Table 1. The Maldives Qualification Framework
Note. Adapted from National Vocational Qualifications and Certifications System of Maldives, by Riyaz. Retrieved from National Vocational Qualification Systems of CPSC Member Countries 2017, CPSC.
TVET Financing
TVET in maldives is usually funded by the Ministry of Education or the Asian Development Bank (such as the Employment Skills Training Project or ESTP). There are also programmes like the Skills Training and Employment Program (STEP) that are initiatives of the Government of Maldives and Tourism Industries.
References:
- Riyaz, A. (2017). National Vocational Qualifications and Certifications System of Maldives. In National Vocational Qualification Systems of CPSC Member Countries(pp. 105-114). Manila: CPSC. doi:978-971-8557-98-3
- Noordeen, M. (n.d.). Innovative Practices in TVET towards Education for Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https://unevoc.unesco.org/up/Maldives_Country_Paper.pdf
- TVET Authority – Technical & Vocational Education & Training Authority. (n.d.). Retrieved August 29, 2018, from http://tvet.gov.mv/
GDP
$3,742,769.97 (2020)
GDP Per Capita
$ 6,924.1 (2020)
Currency
Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVN) = 100 Laari
Major Exports
Fish Fillets (25.5% = $64.3M), Non-fillet Frozen Fish (23.7% = $59.8M), Non-fillet Fresh Fish (16.1% = $40.7M), Processed Fish (14.1% = $35.7M), and Petroleum Gas (12% = $30.4M)
Major Imports
Refined Petroleum (18.9% = $407M), Other Fruits (2.61% = $56.1M), Other Furniture (2.25% = $48.3M), Broadcasting Equipment (2.23% = $47.9M), and Sawn Wood (1.56% = $33.4M)
Major Industries
Fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral, sand mining
Major Export Partners
Thailand (23.5% = $59.3M), United States (12.6% = $31.9M), China (12% = $30.4M), France (11.1% = $27.9M), and Germany (10.5% = $26.6M)
Major Import Partners
United Arab Emirates (24% = $517M), China (15.8% = $338M), Singapore (14% = $301M), India (10.5% = $226M), and Malaysia (5.93% = $127M)
Foreign Exchange Reserves
$ 994,584,648 (2020)
Ease of Doing Business Rank
147th (out of 190) (2019)
Inflation
0.36%
Population below Poverty Line
8.2 % (2016)
Gini Coefficient
31.3 (2016)
Competitiveness Rank
N/A
Employment Rate
62.87% (2020)
Unemployment Rate
7.2% (2020)
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (https://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv/Press/Article/23528)
Type of Government
Unitary presidential constitutional republic
Head of State
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Head of Government
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Legislating Body/Bodies
People’s Majlis
Image from https://curlytales.com/maldives-hits-a-record-1-5-million-tourists-in-2019/
Time zone
UTC + 5:00
Human Development Index
0.740 (high, 95th out of 189) (2019)
Literacy Rate
97.7% of the total population (Male: 97.3%; Female: 98.1%) as of 2016
% of people with internet access
63% (2017)
Life Expectancy
Total: 78 years (Male: 77 years; Female: 80 years) (2019)
Doctors per capita
1.7 Physicians; and 6.4 nurses & midwives per 1,000 population (2018)
Drives on the
Left
Calling code
+960
ISO 3166 code
MV
Internet TLD
.mv
