A team of five national experts from the Maldives participated in Learning Cycle 3 on “Integration of 21st Century Skills (21CS) in Curriculum” which was facilitated by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in 2021 for experts from 14 KIX EAP countries. From this, the national team from Maldives produced a case study in which they reviewed the extent to which 21st century skills have been integrated across the education system in Maldives as well as coverage within elements of the curriculum. They conducted a needs analysis for 21st century skills integration. All the elements of analysis were put together to inform a strategic plan for further integrating skills into the curriculum and the system more broadly.
In March 2023, the Ministry of Education of the Maldives, through the National Institute of Education (NIE), requested a Rapid Customised Country Support (RCCS) activity targeting all relevant staff of NIE to enhance curriculum implementation with a specific focus on 21st century skills for two out of eight key competencies (Competency 2: Understanding & Managing Self and Competency 6: Making Meaning). The RCCS objective is to strengthen the capacity of the National Institute of Education (NIE) to integrate 21st century skills fully and systematically into the eight key competencies in the national curriculum and its implementation at school. RCCS will be given to carry out integration for select grades and subjects in a concrete and exemplary manner with the expectation that the NIE experts will systematically implement the 21st century skills curriculum reform for the remaining grades and subjects on their own. The RCCS activity started in May 2023 with two months of training and capacity development for NIE experts. Those trained will now carry out the integration of 21st century skills in the remaining competencies across all grades and subjects and are expected to conclude in December 2023.
