President announces plans to introduce merit scholarships

The Maldivian government has announced the decision to introduce merit scholarships this year.

The decision was announced by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih while speaking at the award ceremony of the President's Scholarship and High Achievers' Scholarship for the top achievers in the 2022 GCE A-Level exams on Monday evening. 

Speaking at the ceremony, President Solih said that the new scholarship program is being introduced to increase the number of higher education opportunities provided by the government. 

Students who are not eligible for the President's and High Achievers' scholarships, but attained the highest grades in the required subjects of their chosen field of study, will qualify for the new scholarships. 

President Solih said that details of the new scholarship program will be announced by the Higher Education Ministry at a later date.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Solih said the government provides higher education scholarships, student loans, and awards to ensure modern education opportunities and promote higher education. 

He said his administration has offered the highest number of higher education opportunities, compared to previous administrations.

He also also said that his administration's free degree program paved the way for students from low-income families to pursue higher education.

At Monday’s ceremony, President Solih presented President's Scholarship award letters to 17 students who attained the highest results in the GCE A- Level exams. Meanwhile, First Lady Fazna Ahmed presented scholarship award letters to 18 of the 138 High Achievers' Scholarship recipients.