The government will open applications for student loans next Monday, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said.

In his presidential address at the start of the first session of parliament of the year on Thursday, President Solih said student loans were issued to more than 1,500 students last year. The president said applications for loans this year could be submitted from Monday, February 7.

“In 2021, we provided student loans to over 1,500 students who wanted to study abroad. We prioritized those who did not have the financial capacity to finance themselves and those who had special needs. This year we will be opening 720 places under the student loan scheme and applications will open on Monday,” the president said.

Providing details of the government’s free education program for graduate students, President Solih said the results of the program were fruitful. He said the government was providing free tuition to more than 12,730 college and university students. Among them, 2,127 students have already graduated, he added.

“By the end of 2023, more than 5,000 students will graduate from the free education program and serve the nation. Every year after that, 2,000 students will graduate and serve the nation. We are now putting an end to the ‘business’ of We allow any determined student to graduate tuition-free. We have achieved that,” he said.

The President further said that the government has undertaken efforts to train qualified local professionals from different sectors. In this regard, he noted that loans have been granted to 124 students pursuing studies in the medical field. He said vocational capacity building programs will also be launched later this month to train 1,150 IT and accounting professionals.