Haidar: Stipend review to be fast-tracked for countries with highest number of students

Dr. Ali Haidar Ahmed, the Minister of Higher Education, announced on Wednesday that the government is accelerating its review of stipend amounts for countries hosting the largest numbers of Maldivian students funded by the state, while emphasizing his belief that the process of disbursing funds to students has been significantly improved compared to before.

Ongoing concerns have been raised over delays in releasing stipend payments to government-funded students studying abroad. To address these challenges, the Ministry introduced a dedicated online portal, “Kuri,” on February 3.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, the Minister acknowledged that delays can still happen, particularly when universities submit invoices only a week before payment deadlines.

He explained that releasing funds requires approval from three different institutions, which can contribute to timing challenges. Nonetheless, he emphasized that such delays have become less frequent.

"I believe that the process of issuing payments to students has significantly improved compared to before. In some instances, we have even been able to release payments two weeks prior to the required deadline,” he said.                     

According to the Minister, this year, 75 percent of students have been receiving their stipends two weeks ahead of the due date.

He also underscored that stipend rates under the government loan scheme had not been revised for about seven years, and confirmed that a review is currently underway.

In this regard, reassessment will factor in rising living costs in various countries, as well as the minimum financial requirements set by those countries for student visa approval, he added.

According to the Minister, priority will be given to revising stipends for countries where most Maldivian students are based, with other destinations to be reviewed subsequently.

Data from Finance Ministry shows that as of February 27, MVR 79.1 million had been spent on student loans this year, representing 10.2 percent of the MVR 776.6 million allocated for 2024.

However, the Minister clarified that more than MVR 20 million had been disbursed to 2,001 students by the end of February. Last year, out of a MVR 768 million allocation for student loans, MVR 603 million was utilized by December’s end.