The government of the Maldives has decided to provide financial assistance for local students stranded abroad who are in need of assistance.
Ministry of Higher Education has published a policy on providing financial assistance for students stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy states in order to be eligible for financial assistance from the government, the student must be studying under personal funding or a private sponsorship. The student must also be enrolled in a course accepted by Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA).
The policy states financial assistance will be provided for students whose sponsorship has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and are currently not receiving any other allowances. Students who are studying under personal funding will be eligible for government assistance if their source of income has been affected and can no longer provide the required expenses.
The policy states the amount to be provided by the government for each student will be decided based on the daily stipend allocated by the ministry for the respective country. However, the policy states students in countries with an allocated daily stipend of over USD 50 will receive a maximum of USD 50.
Furthermore, the policy states assistance will be provided for a maximum of two months. Students applying for assistance are required to provide the duration in which assistance is needed. Applicants are also required to provide proof that they are currently studying abroad.
The policy states the funds provided by the government will be deposited to the bank account of the student once every 14 days. If the student returns before the end of the period for which assistance was applied, the remaining funds must be repaid.
In addition to students stranded abroad, the government has also decided to provide a monthly income support allowance of USD 323 for individuals whose employment have been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.