The State Minister for Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development, Dr Abdulla Nazeer, has announced that the Government has invested MVR 1.26 billion in higher education.

Speaking on MMTV's Bodu Khabaru programme, Minister Dr Nazeer revealed that 192 students received scholarship opportunities in the past year.

By year's end, he noted that 527 students were pursuing their studies through various scholarship schemes, both domestically and internationally. The Government has disbursed MVR 286 million to support these students.

Furthermore, Minister Dr Nazeer reported that 2,561 students commenced their first degree programmes under Government assistance. The total number of students receiving Government support reached 9,011 by the end of the year, with MVR 169 million allocated to fund their education.

Regarding the Government's loan scheme, the Minister highlighted that 1,240 students qualified for the programme, with 729 successfully securing loans. By year's end, 1,657 students were pursuing their studies through government loans, representing a total investment of MVR 805 million.

The Minister emphasised that this marks the highest annual government expenditure on higher education in the nation's history.