The Education Ministry has strongly condemned Sheikh Ilyas Hussein for claiming that senior officials at the ministry “do not accept Islamic principles.”
A strongly-worded statement issued by the ministry on Monday notes that Ilyas’ remarks at an Adhaalath Party religious sermon on April 22 was “unacceptable,” defamatory and disrespectful to the dignity of education sector officials.
“The whole philosophy of education in the Maldives is built upon Islamic principles,” it reads.
The ministry was moreover “extremely concerned” that a political party was spreading falsehoods about the education sector that could “unsettle the public.”
The Education Ministry has come into conflict with the religious conservative Adhaalath Party during the ongoing process of revising the national curriculum for the first time since 1984, notably after a now-retracted decision by the curriculum revision steering committee to make Islam and Dhivehi optional subjects for A’ Level students.
