Children attending the Maldives National University’s inaugural Mahaasama Learning Festival got a firsthand taste of marine science, as the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (CFOS) led interactive sessions in fish dissection, fish identification, and practical knot-tying.

The activities formed part of the “Discovering Science Through Exploration” focus area at the five-day festival, which ran from 19 to 23 July 2026 and welcomed approximately 300 children aged 9 to 18 at MNU’s Malé campus.

Rather than traditional classroom instruction, the CFOS sessions immersed participants in the kind of practical skills that form the backbone of marine and fisheries work in the Maldives. Children learned to identify common fish species, practiced the delicate technique of dissection under expert supervision, and mastered essential knots used in fishing and boating.

The Mahaasama Learning Festival was organized under MNU’s Furaatha (Giving Back to Society) Programme, which reflects the university’s commitment to sharing knowledge and serving the community beyond the classroom. For CFOS, the fish dissection and knot-tying sessions offered young Maldivians a tangible connection to the marine environment that surrounds them — and perhaps, for some, a first glimpse of a future career in the fisheries sector that remains a cornerstone of the nation’s economy.