Minister of Education, Dr. Aishath Shiham meets with the team participating at the 29th Asia Pacific Children's Convention (APCC) to be held at Fukuoka, Japan.
Asia Pacific Children's Conference is a cultural exchange programme aimed to promote cultural exchange between foreign children who participate in the programme and to deepen their intercultural understanding through lifestyle experiences. Three students from schools in the atolls and three students from schools in Male' City would take part in the programme this year.
As part of the preparations, a two-day training camp was conducted including language, first aid and classes regarding Japanese culture for the officials and students. The team is scheduled to leave on Friday and would stay at Fukuoka for two weeks. The team will spend their first week at the Camp Site, while the second week will be spent with a Fukuoka family. Sightseeing and visiting schools are also listed in this programme.
Each year, up to 6 children, which include 3 boys and 3 girls, all aged 11 and accompanied by a chaperone, from over 40 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are invited for the annual convention held in Fukuoka in July.
Maldives started participating in the programme in 1990 and since then, more than 200 students from various schools have participated in the programme.