Minister of Education, Dr. Aishath Shiham has stated that Maldives is confident in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 4; "ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning."
Speaking at the High Level SDG Action Event on Education held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Education Minister said that the government of Maldives thrives to provide quality education for all. She stated that Government of Maldives prioritizes ensuring achievement of the SDG 4; education.
Speaking at the event held on 28th June, the Minister noted that the Maldives have assured 14 years of free education to all children, especially ensuring 2 years of pre-primary education for all children. She highlighted that the country has almost 100% of school enrollment in, especially ensuring gender parity. She said that now the challenge for us is assuring the quality of education provided.
Noting that the Maldives has a very disperse population with 2000 islands, Minister Aishath Shiham said that there are classrooms with as less as 15 students in some islands, but that the country is very fortunate to integrate technology to bridge this gap for students. She highlighted that a special focus for the country has been ensuring inclusive and special educational systems targeting vulnerable children. She said that alternative forms of education are available at all schools across the country, with vocational education now available in every schools. The Minister stated that 47% of all students are provided with some sort of vocational training.
The High Level SDG Action Event on Education was convened in partnership with key SDG 4 stakeholders to drive a new push for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. The event also elaborated on how to advance the incorporation of the SDGs into the curricula of every school in the world. SDG 4 is at the heart of the UN's 2030 Agenda and essential for the success of all Sustainable Development Goals. The High-Level SDG Action Event on Education sought to highlight the growing momentum around the implementation of SDG 4, including in the area of SDG Learning, and to further galvanize the efforts of the world's leading education stakeholders and to raise awareness about the obstacles and opportunities for achieving universal access to quality education and lifelong learning including through technical and vocational education and training.
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The High-Level event saw participation of the President of the General Assembly, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, High-level representatives from Member States and observers, women, young stakeholders, civil society, UN agencies, education experts, innovators and other relevant stakeholders.
During her visit to New York, Minister Aishath Shiham also met with the Secretary of Department of Education of Philippines Leonor Magtolis Briones. During this meeting the Minister and the Secretary discussed areas of mutual collaboration in Education.