Dhivehi language storybooks: Room to Read’s work in the Maldives

Dhiveh: the official language of the Maldives, spoken in families and across communities. Yet it is English, not Dhivehi, that is more often used for instruction in classrooms. Dhivehi is merely taught as a subject.

As a result, there has long been a preference for English language educational materials, contributing to a national need to revitalize educational content and in Dhivehi. 

Findings from our 2024 feasibility study revealed that lower student performance scores for Dhivehi language skills compared to English language skills are largely the result of two challenges: insufficient Dhivehi language instructional resources and trainings for educators, and a lack of availability and diversity of Dhivehi language materials in the Maldives’ book market. 

To address these gaps, Room to Read is leveraging our competencies in curriculum and content and educator training and coaching to strengthen the Dhivehi learning landscape across the country. In collaboration with key partners and a diverse local network of local educators and creatives, we are adapting a collection of our original children’s storybooks into Dhivehi and creating accompanying teaching resources for educators. Following a successful book adaptation workshop in mid-2025 — which resulted in the selection of 15 books for Dhivehi adaptation — preliminary book distribution to primary schools is planned for early 2026.  



Our vision for this work is bold: Room to Read will benefit children nationwide by distributing copies of the 15 adapted titles to every primary school in the Maldives.

To support the successful rollout and use of these Dhivehi language titles and meet our audacious goal, we will continue working alongside our government partners to adapt accompanying reading activities and teacher training plans, so they remain highly effective in the local educational landscape. Once finalized, Room to Read and our partners will conduct trainings to create a cohort of Master Trainers who will support the training of more than 2,500 educators nationwide, supporting the sustained integration of Dhivehi language books to support children’s foundational learning. 


 

The adapted titles will also be uploaded to our digital library, Literacy Cloud, to further increase accessibility across the Maldives’ widespread geography, comprising 1,190 islands divided into 18 different atolls and three island cities. With the potential to benefit all 40,000+ primary school students with Dhivehi language learning content they can enjoy and understand, we are eager to begin this work and ensure that children can build foundational learning skills in their native tongue, no matter where they are.

"Together, we’re building the foundation for a generation of readers who will shape the future of the Maldives." – Dr. Geetha Murali, Room to Read CEO

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