Challenges to education from the Covid-19 pandemic: A SIDS perspective with special reference to the situation in the Maldives

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in 2019 in China, countries worldwide have been grappling with the numerous challenges required of them to protect their citizens and respond to the consequences of multiple lockdowns on the global economy and their education systems. The devastating socio-economic impact is apparent worldwide, but Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have been identified as some of the most vulnerable contexts. In this paper, we build on the international literature and discourse on SIDS, giving special consideration to the context of the Maldives. We highlight the challenges to providing education in this Indian Ocean nation and the disproportionately negative impact of lockdown conditions on students’ learning. In the light of original field research carried out with school principals, teachers, students, and parents, we identify and discuss how learners and schools coped with a rapid change to online schooling. In doing so, we highlight what has been achieved and how the pandemic has contributed to the widening disparity between urban and rural schools. Our findings point to the importance of SIDS governments having contingency plans in place to manage education in socially just and equitable ways during emergencies

Exploring Digital Divide in the Maldives

International audienceThe central role of ICT in development and its ethical implications have kept the longstanding discussions of the Digital Divide active in the international development and research communities, with new perspectives on how to measure and interpret this inequality. In this paper, we examine the nature of the Digital Divide in the Maldives - between the nation's capital and the Atolls, between the Atolls and across the nation, and the evolution of these divides over time. In order to inform more effective policy interventions, we also attempt at identifying clusters within the country that share similar Digital Divide concerns. The results show significant disparities in the penetration of digital technologies. While we can observe the narrowing of the Digital Divide over time, the divide remains significant between the capital and the rest of the nation. Finally, we discuss the implications of these results to ICT development of Small Island Developing States