Academic expert Dr Hassan Hameed has expressed concern because 49 percent of students in the Maldives' lower secondary examinations are enrolled in the business stream.
Hassan Hameed, who holds a PhD in Critical Thinking, said in a post on X that it is alarming for a country like the Maldives to have more than 20 percent of its lower secondary students opting for the business stream.
"It is a cause for concern that more than 20 percent of students are studying in the business stream in a country like the Maldives. Even in the United Kingdom and Singapore, this ratio is less than one-fifth," he wrote.
He shared data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request regarding the distribution of students across various academic streams in lower secondary examinations.
According to the data, 50 percent of students who participated in the May/June examinations last year chose the science stream, while only one percent opted for the arts stream.
The figures further reveal that within the business stream, the number of students taking Business Studies and Accounting—subjects focused on commercial skills and bookkeeping—is higher than that of those studying Economics, which provides the foundational knowledge required for formulating economic policy.
While Hassan Hameed highlighted the concerns regarding the disproportionately high number of business students in a small nation, the Maldives continues to rely heavily on expatriates in critical sectors such as engineering, healthcare, and education.
Furthermore, the number of Maldivians working in tourism and fisheries—the primary drivers of the national economy—has increased.
As a result of this educational imbalance, many young people with higher education in business and accounting are being forced to settle for basic administrative positions.
