Govt to conduct survey on weak performance of male students

The Minister of Education Dr. Ismail Shafeeu stated on Monday addressed the weaker academic performance of male students compared to female students in O’Level examinations, and added the ministry will conduct an assessment to identify the reasons for this.

The minister made the remarks while speaking at the High Achievers’ Award 2024 held on Saturday.

At the ceremony, the minister highlighted that 54 percent of the exam participants did not achieve pass results. From the passing percentage, only 44 percent were male students while the remaining 56 percent were female students.

The minister highlighted the noticeable disparity of passing students among both genders and noted on the possible future consequences if this difference continued.

“If we do not take measures against this, it would impact negatively and affect the labour force and dampen human capital development efforts, thereby adversely impacting the society’s fabric,” the minister said.

He emphasized on the efforts required in balancing the passing percentile between both male and female students and stressed that no student receiving education within the Maldivian education system should not fail.

The education minister assured government will begin efforts in assessing the reasons behind the lower academic performance of male students within this year.

“We will conduct a rapid assessment this year and will take steps based on the findings to ensure the results between male and female students are balanced,” he added.

He also stressed on the importance of addressing the challenges in the education system while efforts are underway to reform education at a national scale.