Non-state actors in education: Maldives past, present and future perspectives

Deeply embedded in contemporary education systems is the role of non-state actors. The re-examining and strengthening of non-state actors’ role in education is an important facet of the current educational reform agenda, globally. The 2021/2 edition of the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report by UNESCO is expected to broaden the discourse on non-state actors’ role in education, and the state policies on regulating and facilitating non-state actors’ involvement in education. Within this global discourse, Maldives (a small multi-island nation) is considered an interesting case in South Asia to examine the process that has shaped the private/community-driven school system to a strong and unified public education system while reflecting on the current stakeholder perspectives on how to revive the role of non-state actors in education. The data for this report on the Maldives came from the review of pertinent literature, stakeholder interviews, a focus group discussion, and a survey on the perspectives of stakeholders. The report begins with a brief description of the current context of education in the Maldives, followed by a discussion on the developmental plans that shaped the current Maldivian public education system. Next is an analysis of the developmental pathway of the Maldivian public education system that resulted in shrinking the traditional roles of private and community players in education. Then, the report goes on to explain that the Maldives is currently on the road to reviving non-state actors’ participation in education with enabling stakeholder perspectives to further strengthen and diversify the private and community engagement in education.