The dialectic of the international and the national : secondary school examinations in Maldives

Abstract

This article is framed within the context of literatures on small states, examination systems, and international dependence and independence. It focuses on a country with a population of just 260,000, and analyses tensions concerning the nature and operations of external examinations for secondary school students. Maldives has long had links with a UK-based examination board. Although in the past these links have served Maldives well, they came under increasing scrutiny during the 1990s. The article analyses issues and tensions with particular reference to the potentially competing desires for international recognition of qualifications and national control of curriculum.