Government & Education
Government
The Maldives are known officially as the Republic of Maldives, however many people refer to them simply as the Maldives Islands. The islands received their independence from the UK in July of 1965. This archipelago is an island chain that is a presidential republic. This means that the head of state is the President. The President also appoints the cabinet and then the Parliament known as the People’s Majlis. A new constitution was introduced in 2008 allowing for presidential elections every five years. The public elects the president and there must be at least 51% in favor for an individual to take office. Presidents are limited to two terms and the president in office is currently Mohammed Waheed Hassan.
The Maldives has an interesting combination of Islamic law and English common law. Generally, the English common law applies to business matters. The legal age is 18. There are many details regarding the Maldives government and those interested in learning more can easily search the web to find information and history. The Maldives President’s Office website is a great resource for up-to-date and accurate information.
Find the Maldives Government Websites
Education
The Maldives has a functional literacy rate of 98%, which is the highest in the South Asia and Indian Ocean region. Educational standards are also among the highest in the region and schools follow the British system of education. English language is used as the medium of instruction in most schools; however, there are schools that provide Arabic and Islamic education specifically.
The Ministry of Education aims to further enhance existing educational facilities and services so that every Maldivian will have access to quality primary and secondary education and hence increased scope for higher education and training. The education system of the country is designed such that it will foster religious and cultural values though the curricula are based on external examinations that would enable Maldivian students to avail themselves to educational, training and employment opportunities both nationally and internationally.
A milestone in educational services was reached with the establishment of the Maldives College of Higher Education – MCHE in 1998. Maldivian students now have the prospect of post secondary education (from diplomas to bachelor’s degrees in certain areas) at the many faculties functioning under the MCHE.
In early 2011 Maldives National University was formed by collaborating and upgrading all the faculties of the then Maldives College of Higher Education.
