Maldives and Malaysia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to strengthen cooperation in higher education between the Maldives and Malaysia. The MoU was signed by the Minister of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development Dr. Maryam Mariya and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) Novie Tajuddin.
Under the agreement, 561 scholarships in six fields will be awarded to Maldivian students to study in selected Malaysian institutions, providing them with financial support to achieve their educational goals. As such, students studying in Malaysian universities will be awarded a remarkable discount of 70% from their course fees.
The scholarship opportunities opened for respective fields include:
- 75 scholarships for the field of Arts and Humanities
-150 scholarships for the field of Engineering and Technology
- 63 scholarships for the field of Life Sciences and Medicine
- 11 scholarships for the field of Natural Sciences
-255 scholarships in the field of Social Sciences and Management
- 7 scholarships in other fields
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Dr. Marya stated that these opportunities presented to students will give them a golden opportunity to complete courses from globally recognised universities. Highlighting that this was also an opportunity to develop human resources in significant fields required for the Maldives, the minister reiterated the government's overarching goal of founding a generation which will support the nation's development.
Meanwhile, the CEO of EMGS assured that the Malaysian authorities will ensure convenient arrangements for students to secure their visas and will also provide the course fees. He stated that efforts will be made to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries in the educational field, and provide more opportunities.
Malaysia is one of the top countries in which Maldivian students go to seek education, with approximately 1,700 students are studying in various Malaysian universities. The Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development revealed that students currently seeking education and those planning to obtain education in Malaysia through loans, can also benefit from this opportunity.