Historically in Maldives the children aged three and up in the Maldives were educated in traditional schools known as "Kiyavaage" or "Edhurge", generally using a single large room or the shelter of tree. The children learned simple arithmetic, Dhivehi and some Arabic, and practised reciting the Qur'an. These private schools no longer exist, as western style schools replaced them in the 1980s–1990s.