The start of the academic year has been changed for the annual holidays to begin in December next year.
After deliberations on changing the academic year's start date, the cabinet decided to make the change within two years, Principal Secretary to the President on Public Policy Abdulla Nazim said during a press conference at the President’s Office on Sunday.
“With this decision, the annual holidays will be in December in 2025. That was how it happened way back when we were in school. The academic calendar will begin in January in 2026 in the same process as before,” Nazim said.
Students will have a three-week holiday in July and a four-week holiday in December, he said. The government plans to implement the policy with gradual changes to the academic calendar in order to ensure minimum disruption to students, Nazim said.
The decision to change the start of the academic year was made after detailed consultations with stakeholders, he said.
Changing the start of the academic year to January and reverting the annual holidays to December was a pledge made by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu at a campaign rally in Dhaalu Kudahuvadhoo on August 16. The change will be made with effect in 2025, he said at the time.
In 2021, the beginning of the academic year was changed to August to coincide with the low season for the tourism industry in order to allow resort workers to spend the holidays with their children. The academic calendar was changed after extensive consultations.
After tourism industry workers expressed concern and criticized the pledge to reverse the change, President Muizzu assured resort workers during the campaign that their concerns would be addressed.
The academic year in the Maldives traditionally began in January. But in the wake of school closures due to covid, the government decided to extend studies and begin the new academic year in August.
President Muizzu pledged to change the academic year in 2025 on the grounds that the mid-year holiday introduced by the previous government was burdensome to students and parents.
