“I was part of the very first A-level class at V. Keyodhoo School and fortunate to be able to continue my education while staying on my home island,” says Haanee Ahmed.

The Maldives consist of 1,196 islands grouped into 26 atolls (strings of coral islands surrounding a lagoon), a geography that poses serious challenges for delivering education to all children of the Maldives.

Until recently, students like Haanee had to move to an island offering higher secondary education to complete their final two years of school (key stage 5 – grades 11 and 12, or A-levels). “Migrating to Malé comes with lots of challenges,” she says. “When our island school started offering A-levels, I was able to avoid them.”

Hussain Simah is grateful he could stay on Keyodhoo Island, his home island, for A-levels. “I would have had to move to another island, and be away from my family and friends,” says Hussain. “It would have been very hard for me. Having my parents with me while I continue my studies has eased a lot of my mental burden.”

Previously, schools needed a minimum of 10 students enrolled to start higher secondary grades. This policy led to significant disparities in access to higher secondary education across the atolls.

On many smaller islands, students had no local option, forcing them to uproot their lives or give up on further education. The move often came with emotional strain – for both students and their parents – as well as high costs for families.

Now, thanks to the smart use of geospatial data, more students can access higher secondary education closer to home.

The potential of geospatial data

In 2021, Maldivian education planners and policy makers participated in a five-week course on using geospatial data to support equitable education access.

Offered through the GPE KIX EMAP Hub and delivered in partnership with UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), the course – called Learning Cycles – is part of GPE KIX’s broader support for building capacity among education experts in partner countries in the Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia and Pacific (EMAP) region.

The Maldives was one of 10 national teams to take part in the course, which enabled participants to apply basic mapping techniques using geographic information systems, understand the role of geospatial data in education planning and management, and consider its application in promoting more equitable access to education.

For the GPE KIX EMAP Hub, it is important that the Learning Cycles include a wide range of stakeholders – from academia to government to civil society.

The team from the Maldives reflected this diversity, bringing together officials from the Ministry of Education’s planning department and academics from the Maldives National University.

GPE’s support to the Maldives

This work by the GPE KIX EMAP Hub aligns with GPE’s broader support to the Maldives, which prioritizes equity and inclusion, with data and evidence considered high priority.

GPE supports the country through several grants. The system transformation and system capacity grants implemented by UNICEF, focus on ensuring a more reliable data management system to identify learners’ needs, monitor progress and evaluate impact.

The Multiplier grant, implemented by the World Bank, provides additional financing to enhance evidence-based decision making through building capacity of education staff and establishing a robust EMIS.

These grants run until 2028 and will also support the creation of a dedicated training facility to improve the Ministry of Education’s capacity to collect and integrate date currently scattered across multiple systems, enabling a more comprehensive view of educational outcomes.

Beyond GPE, other complementary efforts are being implemented that are strengthening the overall data ecosystems for decision making and improved education outcomes. For example, Google and UNICEF supports the expansion of upper secondary grades.

How attendees (and ultimately children) benefited

Using geospatial software, education planners mapped population densities, school locations, catchment areas, transport infrastructure and other crucial factors for the higher secondary grades.

Overlaying this information allowed them to identify underserved areas and prioritize them for new school construction.

These insights directly shaped policy decisions.

As a result, at least one island in each atoll will be allowed to start higher secondary education even though the school has less than 10 candidates wanting to study A-levels.

Geospatial data changes lives

GPE KIX works globally to ensure the most innovative, evidence-based practices are used by decisions makers shaping education policies. In the Maldives, the GPE KIX EMAP Hub successfully facilitated this kind of evidence uptake.

The GPE KIX EMAP Learning Cycle in geospatial data is a clear example of this approach. “This Learning Cycle shows how data can resolve complex and recurring issues,” adds Steiner-Khamsi. “It will have a huge impact – not just for students and their futures, but for teachers and parents too.”

With technology as their ally, education planners and policy makers are transforming the educational landscape in the Maldives, one school at a time.

Haanee is just one of many students already seeing the benefits. “I have just been selected for a job at the Island Council,” she says. “I earned this opportunity thanks to my A-levels.”