Maldives to benefit from early childhood know-how

The nation of the Maldives is set to benefit from the knowledge gained through the postgraduate study of husband and wife team Ibrahim (Chubby) Hassan and Leela Ahmed.

After securing a scholarship to undertake a PhD in Mathematics Education at Macquarie University, Chubby came to Australia in 2001 with Leela and their two sons.

Online study at Macquarie

Leela, an English high school teacher, decided that her time in Australia would be best spent studying like her husband. She resolved to undertake her Master in Early Childhood.

“I wanted to do something that was relevant to my kids and at the same time something that could help my country,” Leela explains. “So I switched from secondary teaching to early childhood.”

With a young family to look after and a husband busy with study, Leela opted to study her Master of Early Childhood online. Although her course coordinator was initially reluctant about her aim to gain her Masters qualifications in one year, Leela completed the eight subjects required within her timeframe.

While some people find studying online a challenge, Leela thrived on it. “With online courses the support systems are great,” she says. “At any time you can meet with your lecturers and you also have fellow students talking to you online. It worked out very well for me.”

Finishing her Master of Early Childhood at the end of 2003 was a great achievement for Leela both personally and professionally. “I think I am a better mother for doing my Masters,” she says. “I can also see all these things I can do when I go back to the Maldives. It is very exciting.”

The Maldives’ family culture

A country of just 300,000 people, the Maldives has a culture that revolves around the extended family. In the past this has negated the need for childcare facilities. But change is in the air according to Leela, as the country’s first childcare centre was opened recently.

“I am hoping when we go back that I could contribute to the early childhood set up in the Maldives,” says Leela.

While Chubby is set to complete his PhD at the end of 2004, the family is hoping to stay in Australia for a short while so that Leela can gain experience working in her new field.

The future

Thanks to the prompting of her eldest son, Leela has commenced writing home readers in her native language of Dhivehi. To date she has written some sixty home readers based on the equivalent Australian versions. She hopes to have these published on her return to the Maldives.

With the establishment of the country’s first childcare facility Leela is certain that a training course will soon be required. With her postgraduate qualifications behind her, Leela hopes that she might be able to contribute to an early childhood training program as well as do some lecturing. The possibilities are endless in the Maldives.

“The Masters degree has been a fantastic opportunity,” she said. “The Maldives is a developing country and we need a lot of educated people back there,” said Leela. “I believe the slightest bit of input we give back in the Maldives will make a huge difference.”

For further information contact Jane Torr, Senior Lecturer, Institute of Early Childhood: jane.torr@mq.edu.au

December 2004