Ministry expedites A-Level top 10 ceremony
Some students contacted by the ministry shared their concerns, but the ministry said the date would not be changed.
The date of the awarding ceremony for the top 10 students in last year’s A-Level examination has been changed.
The date previously fixed by the Education Ministry for the top 10 awarding ceremony of last year's A-Level students was September 17, after rehearsals on September 15 and 16.
A student who shared his concerns with Atoll Times on the matter said that the ministry confirmed a specific date on September 3, after the ministry had said that the top 10 awarding ceremony would be held in August or September.
The student said, "The ministry announced a specific date and we prepared for that day. Tickets are very expensive during this period so we bought tickets from Maldivian."
"We don't all have family members in Male. So in addition to the tickets, we have already paid for our accommodation in Male. Most of the students are working so we had to arrange paid leave," the student added.
The student’s concern is that the ministry has suddenly decided to expedite the top 10 awarding ceremony while they have paid for all these things and arranged their leave from work.
"Today, the ministry is calling the students to inform them that the ceremony has been postponed to September 12. So we have to be in Male by September 10 at the latest to participate in the rehearsal," the student said.
He said the ministry has not yet informed all the students about this change in the ceremony.
Students coming from Addu to the ceremony have spent MVR 3,374 as their return ticket cost. It will be an additional cost to change ticket dates.
"It is not easy to arrange paid leave on such short notice. Changing the tickets and accommodation date is expensive," the student added.
"The ministry said the reason for postponing the ceremony was that some students will be leaving abroad for further studies for the September intake. But the ministry should have known that in advance.”
The ministry has not yet responded to the concerns of the students.
Some students contacted by the ministry shared their concerns, but the ministry said the date would not be changed.
The ministry will provide the opportunity for one parent to attend the ceremony on behalf of each student.
"The scholarship awarding ceremony for the students was held in July 2024. The orientation was held in the same month. If these two ceremonies (scholarship awarding ceremony and top 10 ceremony) were scheduled for the same week, we would have saved a lot of money. Getting leave from work every time is also not an easy thing," a parent said.
