The Maldives and Japan have signed an agreement for a Japanese grant of approximately USD 1.02 million to continue scholarship opportunities for Maldivian students under the "Japanese Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS)" in the upcoming fiscal year.
The 'Exchange of Notes' was signed on Wednesday during a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sheryna Abdul Samad, and Japan's Ambassador to the Maldives, Ishigami Rumiko.
The grant will support the continuation of the JDS programme, which has provided opportunities for Maldivians to pursue master's degree programmes at leading universities in Japan since its launch in 2020.
The scholarship programme aims to strengthen the Maldives' human resource capacity by equipping young professionals with advanced knowledge and skills to contribute to the country's long-term socio-economic development.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 17 Maldivians have graduated through the programme to date, while nine students are currently studying in Japan under the scholarship.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Skills Development, the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises, the Civil Service Commission, the Embassy of Japan in the Maldives, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Japan has remained one of the Maldives' longstanding development partners, supporting projects across education, infrastructure, disaster resilience and capacity building. The continuation of the JDS programme reflects the two countries' ongoing cooperation in developing skilled human resources for the Maldives' future.