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

This article is framed within the context of literatures on small states, e xamination systems, and international dependence and independence. It focus es on a country with a population of just 260,000, and analyses tensions co ncerning the nature and operations of external examinations for secondary s chool students. Maldives has long had links with a UK-based examination boa rd. Although in the past these links have served Maldives well, they came u nder 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 curric ulum. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.