The Maldives and Japan have signed an agreement to provide scholarship opportunities for Maldivian students to pursue master's degree programmes under Japanese assistance.

The agreement was signed by Minister of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development Dr Ali Haidar Ahmed on behalf of the Government, and by JICA Resident Representative Motoo Taki on behalf of the Japanese Grant Aid programme.

According to the Ministry of Higher Education, this annual scholarship scheme aims to strengthen human resource development in key sectors. For 2024, six master's degree scholarships have been opened in fields such as International Relations, Public Policy, and Environmental Sciences. The Japanese government will allocate over MVR 20 million for this year’s programme.

The Ministry noted that this opportunity reflects the strong and longstanding bilateral ties between the Maldives and Japan, and supports the country’s efforts to train skilled youth in areas critical to national development.

Under the new agreement, Japanese government support for higher education in the Maldives will continue for the next four years. Over the past four years, 24 Maldivians have benefited from similar master's level scholarships through Japanese assistance.