No child will be allowed to remain out of school, Dr Ismail Shafeeu, the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development, declared, underscoring that the issue demands urgent concern from all stakeholders. Approximately 8,000 children fail to attend classes on a daily basis, the minister revealed on 30 June during a ceremony held to release the Key Stage-3 2025 National Assessment of Learning Outcomes report. Forty per cent of these daily absences are concentrated among students enrolled in schools across Malé, Villimalé, and Hulhumalé.
Strict enforcement of student attendance monitoring was initially implemented by the administration that took office in 2013, but the subsequent government failed to adequately maintain the effort, Minister Shafeeu explained in response to a parliamentary inquiry regarding truancy rates. While the ministry possesses an existing policy dictating protocols for absences, officials have enacted new measures to strengthen oversight, mandating that schools share attendance data with the ministry on a daily basis starting 21 June.
"Therefore, through this reporting process, we have identified that a considerably large number of students are not attending school," Minister Shafeeu elaborated. He underscored that this matter necessitates attention from Parliament members, parents, and teachers, as a child’s absence impacts the nation's human capital development. Investigating the underlying reasons for such absences remains critical, he noted, observing that current trends are not driven by health conditions.
"Non-attendance is not an occurrence that should happen," the minister stressed. Having met with principals in the Malé region to mandate disciplinary measures, he asserted that the administration remains committed to ensuring no child is permitted to remain out of school. Under previous regulations, schools were only required to submit reports once an absence reached three days; structural policy changes now ensure attendance rates are assessed and evaluated on a daily basis.