President Ibrahim Mohamed has said the nation is in need of honest and steadfast citizens.

President Solih expressed the statement in a ceremony held to award presidential scholarships to the top achievers of 2019 GCE Advanced Level Examination (GCE A/Level}.

President Solih said a nation would not develop on its own and noted that a nation’s development will be the results of its human development along with innovative thinking. The government aims to provide access to education to the extent that the Maldivian students cultivate an innovative mind.

“You are [students] embarking on the journey of higher education because you have an ambition and aspire to achieve something. As such, your mother, this beloved nation, has high hopes of you. That is to be loyal and steadfast in serving the nation”, said President Solih.

President Solih stressed the current situation of the nation calls for such students. In the present condition, the nation is experiencing one of the most despairing days in the history of the Maldives due to coronavirus pandemic, which has caused the economy to collapse.

The backbone of the economy, the tourism industry was temporarily shut down for more than three months and has now been reopened last Wednesday. This is the first time the industry was shutdown. Due to that, the economy suffered devastating losses which we have never experienced before, added the President.

Five students from Centre for Higher Secondary Education and two students from Arabiyya School who sat for GCE A/Level last year have been awarded the Presidential Scholarship awarded for top achievers.

The President said over 6250 students have been provided with assistance to study in the educational institutes in the Maldives for the first degree, which incurred an expense of over MVR 130 million.

Under the student loan programme aimed for providing loans to students studying in overseas institutes, 1480 students study in 24 countries. 54 students study in seven countries on presidential scholarships, and 117 students study in seven countries under high achievers’ scholarship programme, detailed President Solih.

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