President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the National Quran Competition will be directly funded from the state budget starting this year.
The National Quran Compettition is the largest Quran competition held in the Maldives, with the highest participation nationwide. For many years, students across the country are meticulously prepared for this competition.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 36th National Quran Competition, the President described the National Quran Competition a prestigious event, and pledged to attach even greater importance to it. He stated that from this year onward, the competition will become the most highly awarded and respected competition in the country.
In alignment with this pledge, President Dr Muizzu has decided to fund the National Quran Competition directly from the state budget. The decision was announced by the Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.
The Minister noted the National Quran Competition has been running for many years relying on the generous contributions from wealthy donors. Due to the national importance given to the competition by President Muizzu, the competition will henceforth be funded directly from the state budget, he said, with allocations already earmarked in the 2025 national budget.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs highlighted that the President's decision demonstrated the administration’s dedication to the spread of Quranic knowledge and enhancing the National Quran Competition.
In a further initiative, the Islamic Ministry earlier decided that a separate ceremony will be held annually to honor the Hafiz who memorise the Holy Quran..The event is planned to take place annually on the eve of the 27th day of Ramadan, which holds immense spiritual significance in Islam.
Last year, the administration also launched a programme to facilitate Umrah pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia for Hafizes, offering them the opportunity to perform the sacred pilgrimage as a reward for their dedication.