763 student loans, MVR 341 million spent on higher education

Higher Education Ministry announced on Saturday that the current administration, since assuming power in 2018, has issued 763 student loans and spent MVR 341 million on providing higher education opportunities.

In a tweet on Saturday, Higher Education Ministry said that the government, under its student loan and scholarship scheme, has spent MVR 205.4 million on scholarships to 272 students.

The current administration had introduced a scheme to make bachelor’s degree programs free for students.

Higher Education Ministry said that the government has spent MVR 135.8 million to grant 6,155 students the opportunity to study for bachelor’s degree programs under the scheme.

“The government is engaged in multiple efforts to ensure Maldivians are educated and capable people. It’s for the very reason that such a large percentage of the budget has been appropriated for education sector,” said the Higher Education Ministry.

The Higher Education Ministry approved loans to 514 students in June. They include loans to 48 students for diplomas, loans to 264 students for bachelor’s degrees, loans to 160 students for master’s degrees, and loans to 27 students for PhDs.

The Higher Education Ministry has announced that further student loan opportunities are unlikely in the remaining months of this year, but that it will hold training programs in various fields.