SECUENCIACIÓN DE CONTENIDOS POR TRIMESTRES

The Republic of the Maldives is an island nation that lies in the Indian Ocean, 417 miles south-west of Sri-Lanka and 300 miles south-west of southern tip of India. The islands stretch from north to south for about 764 kilometres, and 128 kilometres east (73 degrees east equator) to west at the widest point, comprising a total area of 118,000 square kilometres. The climate is tropical. The archipelago consists of 26 natural atolls, comprising about 1,190 islands, making a land area of about 298 square kilometres.

These islands are no more than six feet above sea level (The Maldives is the lowest lying country in the world with the highest point at approximately eight feet above sea level). Only 199 islands are inhabited, and the natural atolls are divided into 20 administrative units (See Figure 6). The population of the Maldives is 100 exclusively Muslim.

80 Figure 6: Map of the Maldives (Source: (MPND, 2007c)

The population of the country stood at 298,842 persons in the year 2006 (MPND, 2007b). The capital, Male’, has about 27% of the total population. Other than the capital city, fifteen islands have more than 2000 people each, which approximates to 19% of

81 the population. The Maldives has a young population, with 72% aged between six and 45.

With this young population, a great emphasis is given to education. Primary and secondary education is available throughout the country, with primary education being compulsory. Table 3 shows the population statistics for six years of age and over by educational attainment. Access to higher education is limited since most of the courses are conducted in Male’. The statistics reported from the Ministry of Education reflect such limitations even at higher secondary level (11-12 or advanced level); in the year 2008, 976 students were enrolled in the atolls at higher secondary level while 1688 student were enrolled in Male’ (DNP, 2009b).

Table 3: Population six years of age and over by educational attainment Census 2006

Attainment Total number of students

No grade 4,515.00

Grade 1-10 144,579.00

Grade 11 806.00

Grade 12 211.00

Ordinary level 37,438.00

Advanced level 3,909.00

Diploma 4,174.00

First Degree 1,546.00

Masters degree and above 826.00

Certificate 19,643.00

Basic literacy certificate 5,832.00 Literate (no standard) 35,248.00

Not stated 8,538.00

Grand Total 267,283.00

Source: (DNP, 2009b)

More generally, the adult literacy rate is 98%, the highest in South Asia. The Maldives is the fastest-growing economy in South East Asia, with an annual growth rate of 6%

during the past decade. English is the medium of education in a large number of schools and the Maldivian native language ‘Dhivehi’ is taught as a language. Maldives schools follow the British system of Education (Minges & Gray, 2004). Higher education is provided through both public and private institutions. A public higher education institution, Maldives College of Higher Education (MCHE), is the public degree-granting institution (MCHE, 2009). MCHE was established on January 1^st, 1999, as part

82 of restructuring of the government institutions (Cambridge Education, 2005; Wikimedia Foundation, 2009). The college has faculties in Arts, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Hospitality and Tourism Studies, Management and Computing, and Shari’ah and Law. Most of these courses are also conducted in the capital city Male’. According to MCHE (2009), there is currently no university as such in the Maldives, but a Bill to establish a university is before parliament. Bachelor’s degree courses are the highest level of education offered by MCHE, and they are offered in limited fields only. There is one Master’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Maldivians perceive education to be an important aspect of life and a number seek advanced studies abroad (Kinaanath, 2009). However, the country experiences shortages of human resources with an increase in demand in the country. According to a 2007 report by the Ministry of Planning and National Development, the active work force comprised 145,457 Maldivians and 46,058 foreigners (MPND, 2007a). An earlier National Development Report from the Ministry indicated about a 50% increase in the foreign worker force from 2000 to 2006 (MPND, 2007c). The report further emphasised that, according to the 2006 Census, the youth unemployment rate was 16.2%, which is a critical challenge for the country. In 2006, 30.5% of foreigners were engaged in the construction sector and 20.6% in Tourism (MPND, 2007c). The Ministry also reports that most of the foreign labour force is from neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh (MNDP, 2008).

Tourism and Fishing industries are the major source of foreign income earnings and government revenue in the Maldives. The country’s GDP per capital has steadily increased (with the exception of the year 2005 due to the impact of the Asian Tsunami on 26 December, 2004) from about US$400 in 1977 to US$700 in 1997, to US$2,912 in 2008 (GDP at Current Market Prices in million US$) (DNP, 2009a). Tourism stands out as the major contributor to the GDP and government revenue. Tourism contributed more than 27 percent (2008) of the total GDP, and more than 29 percent of the government revenue in 2008 (DNP, 2009b). The country is highly dependent on imports to meet most of its necessities, such as food requirements, energy needs, and construction materials (MPND, 2007c). The Maldives economy is therefore affected by the high cost involved in the transportation of goods and services. Furthermore, the Maldives is

83 extremely vulnerable to external shocks and natural disasters which challenge the development of the country (Hussain, 2008).

Telecommunication plays a key role in bringing together the widely dispersed population of the Maldives and contributes to the country’s economic development (MPND, 2007c). A sound telecommunication system is currently in place, covering the entire archipelago. Until recently Dhivehi RaajjeygeGulhun (Dhiraagu) Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture between the Government of Maldives and Cable and Wireless of the United Kingdom, enjoyed a monopoly, operating the fixed-line telephone service, mobile service, and the Internet Service Provider (ISP) from 1988 until 2002. This resulted in high prices for all telecommunication services (also discussed in section 2.2.2 Technological infrastructure). In 2002, a second ISP, Focus InfoCom Private Ltd, was licensed after a reform of the telecommunication policy. Focus InfoCom Private Ltd offered standard dial-up services and WiFi. In 2004, Wataniya Telecom Maldives Pvt.

Ltd (Wataniya) was licensed as a second mobile service provider. As a result, the prices of the Internet services and mobile phone charges have gone down, the number of users has increased (See Figure 7), and the network has significantly improved.

84 Figure7: Telecommunication statistics (Source:(CAM, 2009))