Malé, Maldives – The Education Ministry today released a sternly worded circular stating that teachers must know who they are entrusting students to, in instances where any student is handed over to another person.
This statement comes at a time when a teacher of a preschool class has stated that they cannot identify the perpetrator of a sexual crime against a 4 year old student in a Malé school.
In the statement, the Minister of Education Aishath Ali stated that schools are accountable for the students welfare and security within the entire duration a student is at school. Further, students must have an assigned guardian accountable at all times.
The principal of the school must ensure that there is a teacher accountable for every student, especially for baby nursery, nursery and foudation stages (LKG and UKG).
Education Minister Aishath Ali
The Education Minister highlighted that at any instance where a student is handed over to another person who is not the accountable teacher, the teacher must be able to identify the handler. Minister Aishath Ali highlighted the situation where a teacher hands over a student to another person to use the bathroom.
Police confirmed on October 16 that a student has been sexually abused at a school in the capital city Malé.
The child has identified the perpetrator as a female janitorial staff or fondly referred to by children as “toilet dhatha” who take young children to the toilet at the school.
