The Maldives government and the Japanese embassy have signed an agreement under which six Maldivian students will be awarded scholarships to further their study under the Japanese Project for Human Resource Development (JDS).
Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and Japanese Ambassador to the Maldives Keiko Yanai signed the agreement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
According to the Japanese Embassy in Maldives, scholarships of USD 998,000 (or JPY 110 million) would be available next year under the JDS.
This is the second time that scholarships under the JDS have been made available to Maldivian students; last year, the Japanese government awarded scholarships totaling MVR 19 million to 24 Maldivian students under the same scheme.
The Japanese government has been aiding the Maldives in a variety of domains, including numerous relief packages distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan had also announced plans to donate COVID-19 vaccines to the Maldives through the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVAX facility.