High Business Stream Enrollment Prompts Concern Over Secondary Education Choices

MV+ News Desk | September 17, 2026

Data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request detailing candidate entries for the lower secondary national examinations has raised concerns among educators regarding student distribution across academic streams in the Maldives.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Education following a Right to Information (RTI) request submitted by Dr Hassan Hameed, a total of 7,971 candidates are registered for the upcoming May/June examination series.

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Among the business stream subjects, 2,579 students (32.35 per cent) are enrolled in Accounting, 2,547 students (31.95 per cent) in Business Studies, and 1,888 students (23.69 per cent) in Economics. By comparison, science stream subjects see 3,284 students (41.20 per cent) sitting for Biology, 3,039 (38.13 per cent) for Chemistry, and 2,633 (33.03 per cent) for Physics.

Commenting on the figures, former Chancellor of the Maldives National University Dr Hassan Hameed noted that having over 20 per cent of secondary students enrolled in business studies is unusually high for a developing country. 

He pointed out that in developed jurisdictions such as Singapore and the United Kingdom, student participation in business streams remains below one-fifth of total enrollment.

Dr Hameed cautioned that an over-reliance on commercial education over foundational scientific and analytical fields could have long-term societal consequences. He noted that in previous decades, business stream enrollment reached as high as 80 per cent, a factor that some analysts link to systemic governance challenges and corruption in the country today.

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