The Zakat Fund of the Maldives has opened 50 opportunities for higher education in the Maldives and abroad under the policy of providing assistance for higher education.
These scholarships were opened at a special ceremony held at the Islamic Center on Monday.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said these opportunities were opened to sculpt more experts in Islamic fields.
Among the 50 opportunities opened, 20 are for studying in the Maldives and 30 are for studying abroad.
Of the 30 opportunities opened for abroad, 13 are special scholarship opportunities for higher education. Opportunities in the Maldives have been opened for Masters courses at the Maldives National University and the Islamic University of Maldives.
30 opportunities were opened to study abroad in Malaysia, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and SAARC countries. 17 opportunities in Malaysia and Brunei have been opened from the International Islamic University Malaysia, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, International Center for Education in Islamic Finance, and Universiti Brunei Darussalam. From Malaysia and Brunei, two opportunities for Bachelor's degree, six opportunities for Masters and nine opportunities for PhD have been opened.
In addition to these fields, 13 special scholarship opportunities have been opened as well. These opportunities have been opened from SAARC countries, Al-Azhar University in Egypt, and from Saudi Arabia's Medina University, Qassim University, Umm Al-Qura University, Abha University, and King Abdulaziz University.
It has been decided to provide 10 opportunities to cover expenses (stipend) other than those provided by the institution where the student is studying, for students studying in fields including Shariah, Al-Qada, Tafsir, Hadith, Ulum Al-Quran, Arabic, Usul Al-Din, and other fields that include Islamic subjects. Also, one opportunity each has been opened for super specialization in Urology / Urological Surgery, Pediatric Neurology and Neurology.
The new policy for providing assistance for higher education from the Zakat Fund was formulated in December 2024. The Zakat Fund continues to provide assistance for medical treatment and higher education.