Mohamed Shareef* and Aishath Wadheefa

Abstract: Student enrolment in higher education has long been inconsistent for those residing in urban areas and for those who are settled in rural areas. This study aims to explore the barriers Maldivian rural high school students face in transitioning to higher education through the lenses of the students, parents and instructors. The research adopted a qualitative case study approach, involving individual interviews of five rural high school students, and a focus group discussion of four parents of rural high school students along with three higher education instructors, who were selected via purposive sampling. Perspectives of the participants were gained with regard to transition from high school to higher education and the common barriers encountered during the transition process. The collected data was analysed via thematic analysis, which led to the emergence of five challenges from two main themes, which are prioritisation of work over education and academic inadequacies in rural regions. The findings of this study are consistent with a number of other studies, whilst bringing some novel ideas to the forefront in the context of the Maldives.

Keywords: Rural students, barriers, higher education, high school, transition