This article focuses on the inequalities of an educational policy that favours English over the national language and the resulting impacts on young people. While the constitution identifies Dhivehi to be the official language of the Maldives, and the National Curriculum recognises both Dhivehi and English as languages of instruction, English has been the dominant language in education for several decades. This English‐first policy was initiated to modernise and develop the small island nation, limiting the space for Dhivehi in the curriculum. Following a sequential explanatory mixed‐methods design, the study investigates three aspects of this dual‐language context. It examines students’ attitudes towards Dhivehi and English, compares their language attainment, and considers the extent to which the curriculum fulfils students’ linguistic needs. The findings indicate that students’ attainment in Dhivehi lags behind their attainment in English and that many students feel inadequate and unprepared for the real‐world demands of both their languages. Furthermore, while young people recognise the uniqueness of Dhivehi and are proud to be affiliated with the language, they have a much higher regard for English because it is viewed as being more useful for their upward mobility. The implications for policy and practice are explored.

中文翻译：

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马尔代夫年轻人对迪维希语的母语丧失和消极态度：英语至上的教育政策是否应受指责？

本文关注的是教育政策的不平等现象，这种政策偏向于英语胜于本国语言，从而对年轻人产生影响。虽然宪法规定迪维希语是马尔代夫的官方语言，国家课程承认迪维希语和英语都是教学语言，但几十年来英语一直是教育中的主导语言。这项英语为先的政策是为了使小岛国现代化和发展而发起的，这限制了迪维希在课程中的空间。按照顺序说明性的混合方法设计，本研究调查了这种双语言环境的三个方面。它检查了学生对迪维希语和英语的态度，比较了他们的语言素养，并考虑了课程在多大程度上满足了学生的语言需求。调查结果表明，学生在迪维希语方面的学习水平落后于英语水平，而且许多学生对两种语言的现实世界要求都感到不足和缺乏准备。此外，虽然年轻人认识到Dhivehi的独特性并为加入该语言而感到自豪，但他们对英语的重视程度更高，因为英语被认为对他们的向上移动性更有用。探索了对政策和实践的影响。他们对英语有更高的重视，因为英语被认为对他们的向上移动更有用。探索了对政策和实践的影响。他们对英语有更高的重视，因为英语被认为对他们的向上移动更有用。探索了对政策和实践的影响。