The Government has opened 250 scholarship opportunities for Maldivians to pursue studies in therapy and rehabilitation fields, to strengthen specialised healthcare services in the country.

Applications have been opened by the Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development, with opportunities available for both local and overseas study, including 120 bachelor’s degree and 20 master’s degree placements in the Maldives, alongside 30 undergraduate and 80 postgraduate opportunities abroad.

The scholarships cover key areas including psychology, counselling and behavioural therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, with the largest share allocated to speech therapy, where a total of 90 opportunities have been made available.

The ministry has set the application deadline at 1:30 p.m. on 20 April, with details of the scholarship scheme published in the Government Gazette.

The initiative comes amid efforts to expand access to therapy and mental health services, with more than 220 children currently receiving therapy support through State programmes, while many others remain without access, and over 70,000 individuals have sought psychiatric treatment over the past three years, as the Government works to develop a local workforce and reduce reliance on foreign professionals.