Maldivian students are already covered enough and changing uniforms is a waste of money, former President Mohamed Nasheed said on Saturday. 
The Education Ministry issued a circular on Tuesday announcing changes to the uniforms of government school students from 2027.  
Some of the changes include allowing male students in grades nine and above to keep beards and girls in grades four and above wearing pants under skirts.  
The rule has sparked controversy on social media.  
Nasheed also criticized the policy, saying in a post on X that more than 90,000 students are currently studying. The uniform will cost at least MVR 900 each, he said.  
“It is not logical to take more than MVR 80 million from parents and give it to the cloth shops,” Nasheed said.  
He added that changing uniforms is expensive and pointless. The students are already adequately covered, he said.  
Raajjeygai 90,000 ah vure gina dharivarun eba thibi. Mihaaru hushahalhaafaivaa uniform ah enme madhu vegenves MVR 900 kharadhu vaane.Beleniverin athun jumla MVR 80 millionah vure ginain nagaa, e faisa fothi fihaarathakah dhinumakee dhekolhu jehey kameh noon. Uniform badhal… pic.twitter.com/kBb8Bjj07G
— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) December 6, 2025
Nasheed also shared a black-and-white photo of Aminiya School girls in Male' City, taken decades ago, where students are seen wearing shorter skirts than those worn today. The image was also posted by other X users including Hassan Kurusee, who noted that schoolgirls began wearing skirts in the 1950s, during a time when the Maldives was already an Islamic nation.  
According to the new rules of the Ministry of Education, girls can only opt to wear skirts with uniforms from baby nursery to third grade, and after that if they choose to wear skirts in their school uniforms, then they must wear a full-length pair of trousers underneath the skirt.  
Girls' skirts must be two inches below the knee, and if headscarves are worn, they are not allowed to tuck their shirts in. Also, the length of the shirt should be between two and four inches longer than the hips.  
Official Uniform samples published by the Ministry of Education for the upcoming uniform changes announced by the government in 2027.
The Ministry of Education has also made changes to the color of the uniform. The ministry said the colors of the uniform shirts were determined to match the colors of the ministry and the national flag, and to keep the pants in a contrasting dark color.  
With the change, students in government schools will wear black or navy blue tracksuits without any designs along with their activity uniforms, the ministry said.  
The rule states that the top of the official uniforms used in schools should be white, sky blue, tea green and light red. The bottom of the official uniform (trousers/skirt/shorts) should be in black or navy blue.  
The Ministry of Education has said that with changes to official uniforms and activity uniforms from 2027, it will be easier to obtain uniforms.