Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai (Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Reading and founder of MathsThroughStories.org), led a national implementation consultation workshop on his research-based Maths Through Stories approach in the Maldives on 17 June 2025.
Kindly hosted by Maldives National University (MNU) and funded by Research England’s Policy Support Fund, the workshop brought together over 50 key educational stakeholders from across the Maldives, including primary and secondary school teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and policy makers - among them two Deputy Ministers of Education (Dr. Fathimath Nishan and Aminath Nazima) as well as a representative of UNICEF Maldives.
The workshop focused on how the ‘Maths Through Stories’ approach – Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s research-based, low-cost pedagogy – can be implemented in schools across the Maldives to make mathematics teaching more effective, contextual, engaging, and accessible for all learners. Participants engaged in interactive activities, collaborative discussions, and action planning designed to outline ways of implementing the approach by the different stakeholder types, as well as exploring some of the key enablers for and barriers to the national implementation.
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai's workshop co-facilitators - Dr. Úna McCarthy-Fakhry (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris) and Dr. Cassie Hague (OECD Headquarters, Paris) - contributed international perspectives and highlighted how the Maths Through Stories approach aligns with their own work on promoting inclusive STEM pedagogies and promoting creative thinking in education respectively. Dr. Trakulphadetkrai had previously introduced both Dr. McCarthy-Fakhry and Dr. Hague to his Maths Through Stories approach while he was based at UNESCO and the OECD as part of his UKRI Policy / What Works Fellowship.
Participating stakeholders also had the opportunity to hear directly from Aminath Nishana, a classroom teacher at Sharafuddin School - the largest school outside the capital city - who shared her school’s experiences in participating in Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s Young Mathematical Story Authors (YMSA) competition, the world’s first international mathematical story writing competition. Her insights illustrated the positive impact that creative, story-based approaches can have on student engagement and mathematical understanding. Examples of mathematical story picture books created by students from Sharafuddin School for the YMSA competition were also shared during the workshop, offering stakeholders a tangible insight into the creativity and depth of understanding fostered by this approach. Examples include: 'How to Win an Argument Using a Scatter Diagram' by Jeem Naseer (13 years old), 'The Fractions of Ramadan' by Alim Zaneef (10 years old), and 'The Multiplication Toddy Men' by Fathimath Sasha (8 years old).
The Collaborative Action Plan developed during the event in collaboration with all stakeholders was shared with the Ministry of Education to demonstrate a list of actionable steps that can be taken to implement the Maths Through Stories approach nationally, including the integration of the approach as part of the country's pre-service and in-service teacher education curriculum (through collaboration with the NIE and teacher training institutions, such as Maldives National University and Villa College) as well as the establishment of a pilot national network of Maths Through Stories Schools, among other key recommendations.
In her opening remark (the full transcript is accessible here),
Dr. Fathimath Nishan (Maldives' Deputy Minister of Education) commented that:
"What excites us about Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s Maths Through Stories approach is its strong grounding in research and its potential to bring about impactful transformation in mathematics learning – making it both practical and meaningful. [...] As we consider next steps, I would welcome opportunities to evaluate the impact of the Maths Through Stories initiative in our schools, to gather feedback from teachers and students, and to document the lessons we learn together. This will help us refine the approach and finetune it to make the Maths Through Stories initiative as suitable as possible for the unique context of Maldivian schools, teacher training institutions, and our education system as a whole."
In his opening remark (the full transcript is accessible here),
His Excellency Nick Low (British High Commissioner to the Republic of Maldives) noted that:
"The University of Reading is widely respected for its research and its commitment to turning evidence into action. Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s ‘Maths Through Stories’ initiative is a great example – transforming research into a creative, low-cost classroom approach that helps students develop mathematical understanding, communication skills, and imagination. [...] As British High Commissioner, I want to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to supporting educational improvement through research, innovation, and international partnership. I hope today’s workshop helps build momentum for further collaboration, including with organisations like UNESCO and the OECD. Together, we can find practical, effective solutions that benefit learners in the Maldives and beyond."
Professor Robert Van de Noort (Vice Chancellor of the University of Reading) highlighted that:
"We are immensely proud of Dr. Trakulphadetkrai's important work bringing innovative mathematics education to the Maldives through his Maths Through Stories approach. This workshop, with its high-level engagement of Maldivian educational leaders, exemplifies the University's commitment to research that creates real-world impact, and I look forward to seeing how the project develops."
Following the workshop, Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and his UNESCO and OECD colleagues had the opportunity to present emerging recommendations from the event to Dr. Ahmed Mohamed (Minister of State for Education), at the Maldives’ Ministry of Education. They also visited several key stakeholders, including the leadership teams of Jamaluddin School (a local primary and secondary school), Villa College's Faculty of Educational Studies (one of the Maldives' largest pre-service teacher training institutions), and the Ministry's National Institute of Education (the country’s curriculum development and in-service teacher training agency). These meetings provided valuable opportunities to discuss next steps, strengthen partnerships, and ensure broad-based support for scaling the Maths Through Stories approach across the Maldives.
The idea for this workshop first emerged from a chance encounter between Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and Dr. Maryam Mariya (then Minister of Higher Education for the Maldives) at an international education summit co-organised by UNESCO, the OECD and the GIoCT in Paris in late 2024. Their initial conversation sparked the collaborative vision that led to this event.
Videos of the workshop and stakeholders’ reactions to the workshop, along with photos from the event and related visits, can be found below.
The idea for this workshop first emerged from a chance encounter between Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and Dr. Maryam Mariya (then Minister of Higher Education for the Maldives) at an international education summit co-organised by UNESCO, the OECD and the GIoCT in Paris in late 2024. Their initial conversation sparked the collaborative vision that led to this event.
Videos of the workshop and stakeholders’ reactions to the workshop, along with photos from the event and related visits, can be found below.
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Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai (Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Reading) |
His Excellency Nick Low (The British High Commissioner to the Republic of Maldives) |
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Aminath Nazima (Maldives' Deputy Minister of Education) |
Dr. Fathimath Nishan (Maldives' Deputy Minister of Education) |
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Dr. Úna McCarthy-Fakhry (UNESCO Headquarters representative) |
Dr. Cassie Hague (OECD Headquarters representative) |
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Sushil Upreti (UNICEF Maldives representative) |
Aishath Shiunee (Senior Curriculum Development Analyst, Maldives' National Institute of Education) |
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Nadhiya Ahmed (Dean of Maldives National University's Faculty of Education) |
Abdul Sattar Gasim (Dean of Villa College's Faculty of Educational Studies) |
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Azmath Ahmed Didi (Primary Leading Teacher, Jamaluddin School, Maldives) |
Aminath Asifa (Secondary Leading Teacher, Aminiya School, Maldives) |
Photos of the Workshop
The workshop brought together over 50 key educational stakeholders from across the Maldives, including primary and secondary school teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and policy makers - among them two Deputy Ministers of Education (Dr. Fathimath Nishan and Aminath Nazima) as well as a representative of UNICEF Maldives.
Dr. Natthapoj Vincent Trakulphadetkrai (Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Reading and founder of MathsThroughStories.org) with His Excellency Nick Low (The British High Commissioner to the Republic of Maldives) and Dr. Aishath Shehenaz Adam (Vice Chancellor of Maldives National University who kindly hosted the workshop).
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and his workshop co-facilitators from the UNESCO and OECD headquarters (Paris) with the leadership team of Maldives National University's Faculty of Education.
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and his workshop co-facilitators from the UNESCO and OECD headquarters (Paris) with the leadership team of Villa College's Faculty of Educational Studies.
His Excellency Nick Low (The British High Commissioner to the Republic of Maldives) giving an opening remark.
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai welcoming distinguished guests and various stakeholders to the workshop, and introduced them to his concept of students creating their own short mathematical story picture books as an innovative low-cost pedagogical approach.
Dr. Úna McCarthy-Fakhry (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris) contributed international perspectives and highlighted how the Maths Through Stories approach aligns with her own work on promoting inclusive STEM pedagogies.
Dr. Cassie Hague (OECD Headquarters, Paris) contributed international perspectives and highlighted how the Maths Through Stories approach aligns with her own work on promoting creative thinking in education.
Aminath Nishana, a teacher from Sharafuddin School (the largest school outside Maldives' capital city), sharing her school’s experiences in participating in Dr. Trakulphadetkrai’s Young Mathematical Story Authors (YMSA) competition, the world’s first international mathematical story writing competition.
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai supporting various stakeholders in creating their own short mathematical story picture books.
Using Dr. Trakulphadetkrai's mathematical storytelling template, stakeholders working together to create short mathematical story picture books as part of the workshop activities.
Stakeholders presenting their collaboratively created mathematical story picture books to their peers.
Dr. McCarthy-Fakhry and Dr. Hague co-facilitating a policy discussion with various stakeholders on how the Maths Through Stories approach could be implemented nationally.
Classroom teachers, teacher educators, curriculum develops and policy makers discussing some of the key enablers for and barriers to the national implementation of Dr. Trakulphadetkrai's Maths Through Stories approach.
Photos of the Post-workshop Visits
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and his UNESCO and OECD colleagues presenting emerging recommendations from the workshop on how the Maths Through Stories approach could be implemented nationally to Dr. Ahmed Mohamed (Minister of State for Education) at the Maldives’ Ministry of Education.
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and his UNESCO and OECD colleagues visiting various stakeholders following the Maths Through Stories workshop, including here the leadership team of the Maldivian Ministry of Education's National Institute of Education (NIE) which is in charge of curriculum development, school inspection and in-service teacher training.
On this photo are: Dr. Fathimath Nishan (Deputy Minister of Education), Soodha (NIE's Acting Director General), Shiyama Aboobakur (Head of Foundation Stage), as well as Aishath Shiunee and Khadeeja Afsharee (Senior Curriculum Development Analysts).
On this photo are: Dr. Fathimath Nishan (Deputy Minister of Education), Soodha (NIE's Acting Director General), Shiyama Aboobakur (Head of Foundation Stage), as well as Aishath Shiunee and Khadeeja Afsharee (Senior Curriculum Development Analysts).
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and his UNESCO and OECD colleagues visiting various stakeholders following the Maths Through Stories workshop, including here the leadership team of Villa College's Faculty of Educational Studies - one of the major pre-service teacher training institutions in the Maldives.
On this photo are: Abdul Sattar Gasim (Dean of Villa College's Faculty of Educational Studies [FES]), Fathimath Saeed (FES Associate Dean), Mariyam Nihaadh (Senior Lecturer, FES), Fathimath Samaahath (Lecturer, FES) and Fathimath Shifaza (Director, Policy and International Relations).
On this photo are: Abdul Sattar Gasim (Dean of Villa College's Faculty of Educational Studies [FES]), Fathimath Saeed (FES Associate Dean), Mariyam Nihaadh (Senior Lecturer, FES), Fathimath Samaahath (Lecturer, FES) and Fathimath Shifaza (Director, Policy and International Relations).
Dr. Trakulphadetkrai and his UNESCO and OECD colleagues visiting various stakeholders following the Maths Through Stories workshop, including here the leadership team of Jamaluddin School, a local primary and secondary school. They also were given opportunities to observe a primary Maths lesson and a secondary Maths lesson being taught.
On this photo are: Aishath Sheetha (Principal) and Aminath Latheef (Leading Teacher Maths Secondary) among other members of the school's leadership team.
On this photo are: Aishath Sheetha (Principal) and Aminath Latheef (Leading Teacher Maths Secondary) among other members of the school's leadership team.
