Opinion: The A-Level Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight

Every year, hundreds of students in the Maldives walk out of their final A-Level exams exhausted, uncertain, and more confused than they were when they started.  For a qualification meant to open doors to universities and futures abroad, our A Level system does little to guide students toward those goals. So let’s stop pretending this system works and ask the question: what are A-Levels really for in the Maldives? 

A Misunderstood Qualification 

In the Maldives, O-Levels and A-Levels are often treated as one long academic conveyor belt, just because they sound the same and have a similar appearance on the outside. This false grouping is where most of our problems stem from. O-Levels are designed to give students a basic education, or asaasee thauleem, as we call it here. A-Levels, on the other hand, serve an entirely different purpose: to prepare students for university. 

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

This difference is clear in countries like the United Kingdom, where students start A Levels with career paths and degree plans in mind. They’re supported by school counsellors, structured timelines, and clear university targets. In comparison, most  Maldivian students begin their A-Levels with no idea what lies beyond. Our students spend their two A-Level years in confusion, not knowing its true purpose. Some are  told to aim for the “Top 10 Jalsaa,” while others are told, “You only need two passes  for Malaysia.” 

Absence of Guidance 

The most concerning issue in the current model is the complete lack of career guidance in public A-Level schools. Students have no access to trained counsellors or structured help with choosing subjects, planning degrees, or applying to universities. Students aren’t even provided with information about how their A-Level subject combinations could affect their degree pathway, and there is zero help in transitioning to university. Already stressed-out students are left to figure out everything about transitioning to university on their own.

In the United Kingdom, high schools are equipped with dedicated counsellors and career guidance teams. Students are provided with one-on-one sessions to help them make informed decisions about A-level subject choices and later degree choices. Students are extensively prepared on how to write personal statements and how to navigate university interviews successfully. These services are part of the standard school experience. You don’t have to be wealthy or lucky to get direction; the system is built to provide it. Why isn’t ours? 

The Five Subject Trap 

Maldivian students are forced to take five A-Level subjects, including compulsory Islam and Dhivehi, which aren’t even recognized by international universities. A Level grade boundaries are determined by everyone sitting for that exam all around the world. Most of these students carry a load of three subjects, while Maldivians are burdened with five, two of which hold no value in university entry. Our students are left at a disadvantage on the global stage, for no reason. In the Maldives, a student achieving three A*s in physics, math, and economics would miss out on the scholarship if they got an A* in Islam but a B in Dhivehi. There are hundreds of heartbreaking stories like this where excelling students miss out on a debt-free higher education because of non-core local subjects. 

Moreover, the HSC exams for Dhivehi and Islam suffer from outdated syllabi,  excessive repetition from earlier grades, and memorisation-intensive exam formats. The current HSC model does not meet learning objectives due to these aforementioned points. The Ministry of Education displays a shocking amount of laziness when it comes to the HSC. 

HSC exams should be made optional for A-Level sitters and revamped to attract students. If the DPE were to compete with Cambridge and Edexcel for a spot in A Level subject combinations, they should try to legitimise HSC internationally and provide an incentive to study it in the first place. 

Late Exams, Delayed Futures 

Our exam schedules are equally dysfunctional. The Oct-Nov session is primarily taken by gap-year students re-sitting to improve their grade, while in the Maldives, it is the only session available for the majority of subjects, which means we would miss out on the popular September intake at universities. We need to change to May-June immediately. In the UK, students can complete their final exams in May, receive their results in August, and start university in September, all within three months.

This is also facilitated by the streamlined student financing processes. In the UK, financing applications open while students are taking A-Levels, whereas in the Maldives, scholarship and loan applications open four months after the results. For students from low-income families, that waiting period can crush any hope of attending university on time. What takes three months in the UK takes almost a year in the Maldives. 

Way Forward 

1. Implement structured career guidance in every public A-Level school, with trained counsellors. 
2. Make HSC subjects optional, and reform them to be rigorous and relevant. 3. Move exam sessions back to May-June so that students can meet global university deadlines. 
3. Modernise scholarship and loan processes, starting them while students are still preparing for A-Levels. 

A National Imperative 

Education is the single most important investment any nation can make. In our current system, students are left without direction and a plan, weakening our country’s future. If we want our youth to compete globally, we should start by providing them with a functional system designed for success. I have emailed my concerns to 50+  parliament members. As of 3/7/2025, I have received only one response.

Editor’s Note: Opinion pieces published by MV+ reflect the views of the contributor and not the editorial stance of MV+. To submit your own opinion piece—under your name or anonymously—please email us at media@plus.mv.