Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali has inaugurated a vocational education training lab at Kalaafaanu School.
The vocational lab allows students to learn skills such as cooking, sewing, carpentry, as well as arts and crafts. The lab is expected to enhance various real-life skills and the creative problem-solving ability of students, and will assist in the government's efforts to build a skilled young generation.
In addition to the general vocational education training labs, the ministry aims to open specialised labs to teach specific skills, including air conditioning repair, electronic work, and carpentry. Vocational education will be taught by integrating it into the subjects being taught in the current curriculum. The ministry stated that it is an important step in shaping education to increase the interest of students.
The ministry has decided to open vocational labs in 28 schools as part of the Atoll Education Development Project (AEDP). As such, the first vocational lab was opened in September this year at Thaajuddeen School. The initiative supports the government in improving the quality of secondary education in subjects of strategic importance for economic development such as the English language, mathematics, science, and skills education. The total financing of AEDP is USD10 million, which consists of a USD4.5 million grant and a USD4.5 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional credit window for developing countries, and a contribution of USD1 million of counterpart funds from the Government of the Maldives.