BlackHitman

Wow. I’ve just learnt that Maldives has lowered secondary English testing standards to Cambridge IGCSE English as a Second Language (ESL) and no longer offers GCSE English in gov schools. I just talked to a few O Level and A Level students before posting this and this change apparently happened many years ago, yet there was little to no public protest over the long term damage it has caused to our education quality. Could someone please explain who decided this policy, why it was implemented and exactly when it took effect? Even UK employers and many universities don’t accept IGCSE English as a Second Language as equivalent proof of proficiency. It’s specifically designed for non native speakers who only need to demonstrate basic working English for everyday communication (roughly CEFR B1–B2 level). To put this into perspective, an A* in IGCSE ESL is like a C grade in GCSE English. IGCSE ESL will be accepted for something like a seasonal fruit picking job in Australia on a Working Holiday visa but that’s about the limit of its recognition. As a result, Maldivian parents have to pay more than 4,000 - 5,000 MVR for a standard English proficiency test such as IELTS which has a limited two year validity period, before their children can secure any skilled job or university place in a developed country. I’m also hearing that the overall quality of English teaching in secondary schools has declined following this damaging and long lasting change. This is unacceptable. Students in Maldives should be taught high level English at secondary level, with the option to sit either the standard First Language English or the Second Language version, depending on their ability and future plans. Gov should pay for it, whichever paper the student chooses. Forcing the entire student population to sit IGCSE English as a Second Language is not only unacceptable but especially shortsighted in a country where English serves as the medium of instruction for most secondary subjects. In Singapore, English is officially a second language for the majority of students (with Mandarin, Malay or Tamil as home languages). Yet the secondary school follows GCSE English standard. Singapore consistently ranks among the top in global English proficiency indices. Their students graduate ready for top universities without extra tests. Foreign firms don’t hesitate to hire them. Why would any sensible gov impose such demonstrably low quality standards on an entire population? Globally, thousands of universities (in UK, Australia, Canada, US and Europe) explicitly state that IGCSE ESL grades do not meet English language entry requirements for undergraduate or postgraduate programmes. This puts Maldivian students at a clear disadvantage compared to peers from countries that maintain rigorous English benchmarks. Lowering the bar for everyone in this way caps potential. Maldivian students deserve the chance to be taught and assessed at the highest level their ability allows, especially when English is the gateway to almost all higher learning and international opportunities. It’s time this policy is reviewed and reversed.

There's nothing worst than a Black Zionist