O'Level examinations begin for 5,955 students across Maldives

Thousands of students in the Maldives are preparing to sit Cambridge O'Level IGCSE examinations on Monday from 235 examination centers in the country.

Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali tweeted earlier in the day to extend her best wishes to those students who would be sitting the SSC and O'Level examinations in Maldives.

The Education Ministry revealed that a total of 5,955 students would be taking part in this year's secondary school examination.

While the October/November O'Level examinations are held in Maldives every year, the past year had seen the examinations series postponed due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Despite difficulties, students continued to study and prepare for the exams, and had taken a number of extra and online classes prior to the exams despite schools having closed down due to Covid-19.

In a press statement released on Monday, the Ministry of Education assured that all exam centers across the country were fully prepared to host examinations, and that they would be conducted in accordance to Covid-19 health and safety measures as set by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), with students who are positive for Covid-19 also being given an opportunity to sit their exams.

While the O'Level examinations began in the Maldives on Monday, the A'Level examinations are already underway. Students sitting A'Level exams in the Maldives have raised concerns that they had not been given enough time to complete the syllabus before the exams began, and have had their examination papers leaked online in foreign countries just a few hours before they sit the paper. However, the Ministry of Education has disregarded these concerns, and states that the exams series will continue until a decision otherwise is made by Edexcel UK.