We believe education is vital for achieving successful and sustained conservation, which is why education is one of the three pillars of our conservation approach. After all, we protect what we love, and we love what we know.
Our passionate Maldivian educators lead a diverse range of projects that connect people to the ocean and ocean conservation, aiming to building a generation of ocean guardians in the Maldives. So far they have reached incredible achievements across all of their activities:
4526
People taught about the ocean through Moodhu Madharusaa, manta festivals, competitions or snorkelling and diving initiatives.
1000
Secondary school students, teachers and women taken swimming, snorkelling, or diving.
281
Secondary school students completed our 6-month Moodhu Madharusaa marine education programme.
10
Years of marine education initiatives run in the Maldives by the MMCP.
MOODHU MADHARUSAA
We are fostering the next generation of Maldivian ocean guardians… who will take stewardship of their island environment. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that people have a personal connection with their marine environment, an understanding of its importance, and a passion to conserve it.
Our marine education programme, named Moodhu Madharusaa - which means Ocean School in Dhivehi - aims to educate secondary school students about the environmental issues facing their communities and engage them with conservation solutions. We encourage experiential learning, supporting students and their communities to connect to the ecosystems on their doorstep through nature-based fieldtrips and swimming and snorkelling lessons.
We believe that encouraging children and their families to learn about and experience their natural marine resources is the most effective way to ensure the long-term conservation of the Maldives marine environment.
Many schools in the Maldives do not currently include subjects such as Marine Science in their core curriculum, so our team in the Maldives are providing the capacity needed to engage students with these topics.
We have been delivering outreach initiatives to secondary schools across four atolls since 2015. Over time our efforts have grown in scope and ambition, ultimately leading to the creation of a fully-fledged education programme.
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
Moodhu Madharusaa is based on five modules:
Marine Ecology
Coral Reef Ecosystems
Marine Megafauna
Seagrass & Mangroves
Ecosystem Conservation
During theory lessons, our education team give presentations and run interactive learning activities in the classroom. Home assignments encourage students to share learnings with the wider community. Most importantly, each module includes at least one fieldtrip, which range from visiting protected mangrove islands to going snorkelling to get up-close and personal with the world beneath the waves.
OUR OBJECTIVES
Increase youth participation in marine activities
Our research shows many students, particularly girls, do not often swim in the sea or have never snorkelled before. It is essential that everyone has the skills to safely swim and snorkel if we are to instil a desire to protect marine ecosystems, so that’s where our fieldtrips come in.
Inspire intergenerational change
To successfully protect local environments, everyone needs to have a seat at the table. We work with schools, councils, and NGOs to discuss environmental degradation and action conservation solutions. We support secondary school students to develop creative ways to engage their parents, younger peers, and wider communities.
Equip students with skills to pursue environmental careers
In the Maldives, many environmental jobs are filled by non-Maldivians. Many young people are not aware of jobs in this field, or do not have the required skills to pursue them. We inspire students to pursue these careers by equipping them with skills such as swimming, snorkelling, data collection and analysis, and public speaking. We mentor particularly interested students, supporting them to gain internships and scholarships.
Research the effectiveness of our education programmes
We monitor our effectiveness at increasing participant’s marine environmental awareness, knowledge, and pro-environmental behaviour intentions; all of which have increase following each programme. We use this data to develop the programme, assess its impact, and evaluate its role in improving marine environmental conservation.
NUHA RASHEED - MALDIVES EDUCATION MANAGER
"Despite learning how to swim at a very young age, I only witnessed our beautiful coral reefs for the first time on a school field trip. This experience was a turning point in my life as it sparked curiosity in the marine world and set me on the path to eventually becoming a certified scuba diver.
Scuba diving was the missing piece that truly connected me to the ocean - it gave me the wonderful opportunity to swim with manta rays and develop love for them.
I hope to provide similar opportunities for others through our marine education programme Moodhu Madharusaa, because it can take as little as one snorkeling experience or scuba dive to change people’s perspective and feel connected to their environment. This connection is crucial for the conservation of manta rays."
MAEESHA MOHAMED – MMCP BOARD DIRECTOR
"I was about 6 or 7 years old when I first saw a coral reef in real life, and that remains the most vivid image of a reef in my mind to this day. Perhaps not because the reef was so different back then, but the experience made me realize how surrounded we are by wonder. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go and explore the underwater as much as I wished until I grew up, but this is also true for many Maldivians, particularly girls.
We are coastal people living in a large ocean state, and our very survival is dependent on a healthy marine ecosystem. I believe that education and awareness, and actually showing them what they have in their backyard, are the keys to a future with environmentally conscious individuals who respect the ocean and are passionate about protecting it.
With Moodhu Madharusaa, we hope to inspire the next generation of ocean champions to do that."
ZOONA NASEEM – MMCP BOARD DIRECTOR
“I admire and appreciate the amazing work that the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme is doing with local communities in the Maldives and am excited to see the marine education programme continue to grow.”
MALDIVES NORTHERN ATOLLS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION EXPEDITION
2021
In 2021, the Manta Trust and MMCP team, along with colleagues from the Environmental Protection Agency, Maldives National University, Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve, and One Blue Ocean, embarked on a 18-day expedition to research manta rays and deliver educational outreach in the remote northernmost atolls of the Maldives.
Watch video #4 in our expedition video series to learn more about marine education in the Maldives and our expedition activities.
Thank you to Carl F. Bucherer for sponsoring this expedition.