The Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA), in collaboration with The Department of Inclusive Education (DoIE), Ministry of Education, Maldives convened a two-day National Expert Conclave on SLD Screening and Intervention on 20–21 June 2026 at Shaheed Ali School, Maldives. The Conclave brought together 47 participants, including inclusive education teachers, special educators, psychologist, and Ministry officials, from Malé and atolls across the Maldives to validate a draft Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Screening Tool and build participant capacity for its national rollout.

The Conclave was inaugurated with welcome remarks by Ms. Adhila Rushdee, Director General, DoIE, a keynote address by Dr. B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, and a presentation on the current policy landscape by Dr. Aishath Wadheefa, Minister of State for Education, Maldives.

The event was the culmination of a structured preparatory process that included a comparative analysis of SLD identification tools used in Maldives and across Commonwealth Asian countries, a national situation analysis of school and teacher readiness for SLD screening, and the development of draft screening parameters aligned with Maldivian curriculum standards. Findings from these studies were presented at the Conclave by Ms. Hafsa, DoIE, Maldives.

Technical sessions were delivered by Dr. Shilpa Manogna and Prof. Vinay Kumar Singh, faculty at the Department of Education of Groups with Special Needs (DEGSN), NCERT, who participated remotely via Zoom, alongside in-person facilitation by Ms. Nabeela Ata and Ms. Akanksha Aggarwal from COL-CEMCA. The programme combined expert presentations with collaborative group work, stakeholder validation exercises, and structured action planning, covering SLD concepts, evidence-based classroom interventions, referral pathways, data management, and monitoring and evaluation.

Day two also featured a presentation and review of the Inclusive Teacher Competency Framework by Dr. B. Shadrach, which participants discussed in the context of national implementation planning. The Conclave concluded with a valedictory session in which Dr. Aishath Wadheefa outlined closing remarks and Dr. Shadrach presented the way forward.

Key outcomes included the validation of the SLD Screening Tool, refinement of screening indicators based on practitioner feedback, and the development of a capacity building programme. Participants recommended piloting the tool in selected schools before nationwide rollout, and called for the development of user manuals and comprehensive teacher training programmes. Travel and participation costs for atoll-based participants were supported under the COL-CEMCA initiative.

The validated tool and agreed implementation roadmap represent a significant step towards building an inclusive, responsive, and equitable education system that ensures early identification and timely support for all learners in the Maldives.