Newly appointed Education Minister, Dr. Ismail Shafeeu, has unveiled plans to shift the academic calendar, with the 2025 Academic Year set to begin in January instead of August. The minister announced the upcoming change in a meeting with school principals of Male' City schools on Monday.
While it was the practice in the Maldives to start the academic year in January, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih changed the beginning of the academic year to August in 2021. It is a presidential pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to revert to the traditional January start for the academic year.
During the presidential campaign, President Dr. Muizzu noted the unfavorable weather conditions of the western monsoon coinciding with the school break, posing challenges for holiday travel.