The minority opposition party People’s Alliance (PA), led by the former president’s brother, MP Abdulla Yameen, has strongly condemned the idea of introducing co-education.
A statement issued by the PA claimed that the government was attempting to “douse the light of Islam” in the country, and called on the government to “immediately terminate this action.”
“Majeediyya was a male school and Ameeniyya was a female school since the beginning, it is a big trait to the proud history of the two schools to introduce co-education,” the statement said.
PA said that co-education was implemented for island schools because there was no other way due to a lack of facilities, and that females and males were not mixed because people decided that way.
“in Arabiyya school two genders are mixed only when it becomes a basic need, however, we note that although students were mixed, girls and boys sit in different halves [of the classroom],” PA said.
PA referred to research conducted at Cambridge University claiming that single-sex education had better educational outcomes.
“The current government, as soon as they came in to administration, have cunningly attempted to douse the light of Dhivehi and Islam,” PA alleged. “It has given a deaf ear to the petition presented to the government with the signature of hundreds of concerned authorities.”
Minister of Education Dr Musthafa Luthfy yesterday told Minivan News that co-education has been a part of the Maldivian education system for a long time.
“When we studied at ‘Edhuruge’ [traditional places of learning, where classes were held at a teacher’s house] there were girls and boys mixed,” said Dr Musthafa. “There are currently only four schools in the Maldives that are not co-educational.”
Dr Musthafa said his idea was to develop an integrated educational system that comprised of science, commerce, arts and aesthetics.
“If anyone is in doubt, they can ask parents and school managements whether students have moved further away from religion or closer to it after I assumed office,” he said.
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PA needs to say something just to let the people of Maldives know that they are still there. And they just have to defame the education ministry and the people in it because the educational standard of the students have improved since this government came into being. As for having co-education, why didn't these people condemn co-education in the previous government? The schools in all the atolls and all the primary schools in Male' were co-education based. Didn't religious scholars exist then? It's all about politics. Nothing about the future of our youth or the betterment of the nation. Some people just need to yack about this and that.
pls someone remind these hypocrites that everyone knows, including themselves...that sex does take place amongst the same sex too... And majeediyya was famous for inquisitive teen age boys experimenting on eachother...
There is surely something wrong about how the ministry is pursuing these well intended goals. Publicity failure again? Where is the research which says that single schools have in general no advantages over coeducation schools? good policies alone are not enough in a competitive political environment. we also need good policy advocacy.
Do your researches well. i hope Maldivians are not dumb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-sex_education
http://www.greatschools.org/find-a-school/defining-your-ideal/single-sex-education-the-pros-and-cons.gs?content=1139
PA.
People's Alliance.
A party whose leaders name pops up in the Auditor General's reports 2007-2008 having the the biggest amount in embezzlement and Corruption.
I have no idea about them except they have a membership below 3000.
But they have 7 MPs. Methinks money is a factor to pull that many MPs.
Now if our government says "People! do you know that the sun rises in the east each day?"
The PA will say "Nonsense. It rises in the west. The government is trying to influence the law of nature"
If the government says "People, its your mothers who give birth to you."
PA says "No no no! you guys grow on trees, fall down and grows up into a human being. That's why you have to worry about yourself only!"
If our government says "People, we should always look after the vulnerable."
The PA says "No, the vulnerable are our tools. Grab their intestines. They are the juiciest!"
Ha.. the Criminals of the Nation!
A bunch of lunatics that does not even deserve a nano second of my time. Yamin is condemning co-education - you twat! really? Where did you son go to school at? Where did you go to school at? Where did your daughter go to school at? I guess in all girls and boys school for life! The hypocricy and the ultimate idiocracy that exists in the parliament is disgusting!
I think the biggest mistakes of the media is to cover majlis live!
Only 4 schools in the entire country is not co-ed and these lunatics are saying what?!!!
People of this country, please don't listen to them!
will be more pregnant girls and happy boys!!! ohohoh
Yameen has to milk every cow in the farm, or he can't sleep at night.
Privatize all schools.
Including their curriculum/attire/sessions/gender mix/ etc.
This way, those who prefer co-ed can send their children to mixed schools and vice versa.
Especially the curriculum. There will come a day soon, the question be "Should theory of evolution be taught in biology class?" There is no reason to make the answer to this question a one single answer across the whole nation. Those parents who are ok with teaching evolution can send to those schools, those who don't want, can send their children to schools that don't teach it.
If we are to still retain public funding, then we can still privatize and introduce voucher system. This way, parents will hopefully be in more control.
One question. Should male civil servants wear a blue tie or yellow tie? Should that decision be made for all by government? or NGOs? or opposition?
I find it deeply piuzzling that people who claim to be such devout muslims as the Honourable Muthalib and Hon Abdul Aziz and who appear to have appointed themselves the "Keepers of the Islamic Faith " represent the Peoples Party. How do these people expect us to take anything they say seriously? I am shocked at the extent to which these two people are being allowed to make a mockery of the religion we love and respect.
Yameen is a mega Secularist who openly condem spread of Islam!! So whats all this drama? Who are u trying to fool? When was the last time anyone saw Yameen even friday prayers?? Maldivians arent fool as though Dr.Mustafa think he can fool Maldivians for his puppet Master to secularize the Maldives for the colonial ruler!
To the commentator above,
By calling this guy secularist, you're giving the secularists among us a bad name.
Statements like this go against the very fundamental of secularism that demands that politicians SHOULD NOT abuse religion for their petty ambitions (which, this clearly is an example of)
Maldivians continue to be taken for a ride by their MPs, all of whom think they can continue ruling over the people by constantly beating that one familiar drum 'Islam is going to be destroyed by '.
If co-education could 'destroy' Islam, it would have died out centuries ago.
If 'gay marriages' automatically follows secularism, then it would have been the norm since the French Revolution.
The easiest thing for politicians is to play up people's fears and spread insecurity over trivial things.
It is a lot more difficult to actually do some productive work - like tackling the drugs problem, building schools, and solving our housing and over crowding problems.
Why don't we ever hear these guys discuss these things?
By the way, the PA has either distorted the study conducted by Cambridge University, or didn't understand its conclusions.
The study concluded that teachers tended to pay more attention to the more aggressive students that are often boys. However, it was also noted that this can be dealt with through training of teachers, and all students can benefit by being exposed to the real-life scenario of co-ed existence.
I don’t care what the PA says, what’s important is what’s the best environment for students to learn and perform better (after all we can’t be very proud of the pass rates in GCSE O/L exams can we)?
I saw some very good information on the topic of single-sex vs co-ed in the comments section of a previous article titled as “Co-education inconsistent with the culture of Islam says Adhaalath Party”. The link is here: http://minivannewsarchive.com/society/co-education-inconsistent-with-the-culture-of-islam-says-adhaalath-party-11872
See the comments by the poster known as Seahorse. Real compelling evidence.
Is Salaf now being funded by PA?
Total bollocks! And when do they expect our kids to start mixing with the opposite sex? When they reach puberty and can be married off at 13? Leave our kids alone Yaamyn you thug! U do enough damage already by fuelling the gangsters and spreading crime all over the Maldives.
Feel sorry for all those who voted this weirdos - Yamyn, Muttalib, Azeez into the parliament.
PA? That's a party?
PA will do anything to be in the limelight until 2013!
I very much doubt local crows would touch any of their body parts if they are washed ashore even!
Skunks I am sure would lament if they ever are to compete with these PA MPs in ejecting smell!
I find no wrong in having Majeedhiyaa and Aminiya as single sex schools and Dharumavantha and Hiriya to co-ed...Simple, problem solved
i had some interactions and conversations with Yamin, and I used to think he was a very strong capable leader and all for social justice.. I came to learn that he is ruthless, merciless and unforgiving and that he blames others ruthllessly when he is at fault as he is too proud to admit he had made a mistake. I beg you guys to learn this, to know this, if Yamin became your president i promise you, my prediction is you will be cast into hell once stuff starts going wrong for him...he will be all benevolent for first few years, you will all think wow, we were wrong about him but eventually, suffering...
Don't support this man
Secularism=Gay=athesthism=drug=alcohol=cchild abuse=women oppression and using them as sex symbol!!
These are facts!!!
Whether Yameen joins Salaf or Adhaalath or he will never become the President of Maldives. Never!!