Ahmed Athif

Ahmed Athif was determined that no child should be left behind in the education system in the Maldives. Beginning his career as a teacher, Ahmed recognised that the current curriculum did not cater for any children with learning difficulties or special needs and has worked to influence public policy on the issue ever since. His impact is the reason he is a Griffith University 2021 Outstanding International Alumni Award Winner.

“I couldn't actually believe it myself, when I won,” he said. “I was just thinking ‘Yes, my work has been internationally recognized by the University that I graduated from. It gave me strength and hope. This kind of encouragement gives fuel for my journey.”

Through his leadership positions within the Ministry of Education (MoE), his volunteer roles with various non-governmental organisations (NGOs)and his studies at Griffith University, Athif has made a sustained contribution to inclusive and special education across the atolls of the Maldives.

“As a teacher I realised we needed to rebuild the whole system of education in the entire Maldives, we needed to do everything: being professional, helping the teachers, building and developing the policies, keeping the community aware, there was a lot to do.”

Since 2007, Athif has played a key role in several initiatives introduced throughout his island nation to enable individuals with disabilities and learning difficulties to not only access and participate in their community but also experience a quality education in regular schools.

He began assisting in an extensive mapping exercise to identify the prevalence and location of students who were at risk of falling through systemic cracks. In total, 98 000 students were screened across the atolls using screening tools developed by Athif.

Athif said his Master of Education (Special Education) at Griffith allowed him a much deeper understanding of educational principles and policy that allowed him to make real change in the Maldives. “My time at Griffith gave me the fundamentals of what I am doing right now, it gave me windows to explore my work into various avenues.

“What I got from Griffith was beyond just a degree. Griffith University held my hand, and then allow me to take my journey that further step,” he said.

Indeed his thesis topic looked at factors needed to foster inclusiveness in the Maldives education system, and his finding contributed substantially to ensuring all children had access to learning that matched their own capabilities and needs.

In 2011, volunteering beyond his official role as Education Development Officer, Athif drafted the initial Inclusive Education Policy for the Maldives, in consultation with key stakeholders and extensive community input. The policy, endorsed by the MoE Steering Committee, was launched in 2013. Since then, education for students with disabilities, teaching procedures, and resource allocation to schools have been aligned with this policy on a needs basis, which has helped to eliminate labelling and stigma around a diagnosis. Moreover, education has been available to all students with disabilities, across the atolls, with at least one fully trained special education teacher for each school

“The biggest reward so far has been from the parents,” Athif explained. “When parents come in and tell us their story, they tell us that their child is now writing their own name, which has never been even dream for them before. That happiness that I see from the parents kept me going.”

In recognition of his important and substantial impact on education in the Maldives, Athif was awarded the National Award of Recognition (2016) by the President of the Maldives, the highest award available to an individual in the country.

Now Athif runs his own non-governmental organisation and is working on publishing educational books and materials in the country’s official language Dhivehi.

“We lacked a lot of materials in terms of our own language, we had many English education books but Dhivehi books we did not. So I started publishing books for little ones, those foundation stage books. It is a way I'm contributing to the community and parents, teachers, and then even students, they love those books.”

He says occasionally the industry and the work can be intense and sometimes get him down, but that being recognised in the Griffith University 2021 Outstanding Alumni Awards has really given him clarity that he is doing something right.

“This award from Griffith, being internationally recognized with this kind of appreciation means we are on the right track, we are doing the right thing,” Athif explained. “There was a feeling that, yes, my work has been recognized. And that is a feeling that can only be felt, it cannot be explained.”