President Dr Mohamed Waheed has announced the commencement of a World Bank aided Multigrade Teaching Project this year, as part of the government’s reform measures for the education sector. The President made this remark while speaking to the people of Meemu Maduvvari as part of his visit to the island today.
The President said that the project includes teacher training and the establishment of a network where lesson plans are shared. He also said that the schools where the project is to be introduced would soon be decided, and that the government would provide any assistance required.
Noting that there were a lot of schools with a very small student body, the President underlined that the issue of small schools was of great concern for the nation. He said that in some schools, the average number of students per classroom was 3 to 4, and that in other schools the whole student body consisted of only about 8 students. The President stressed that, considering the state of these schools, a lot of very urgent reform measures were needed to improve teaching techniques and obtain better results.
In his speech, the President shared some of his own experiences working with the UN, of carrying out such projects in different countries. He said that these projects greatly contributed to the further enrichment of teachers.
Speaking on the importance of establishing the Institute of Education, the President expressed hope that it would be inaugurated without further delay. He said that the purpose of the institution was to improve the teaching methods and reform the education system of the country.
Speaking in this regard, the President appealed to all the parents, teachers and the management of the schools to pay special attention to it and to work together with the government. He urged those in the government institutions to finalize the planning process and begin the conduction of the project soon.
