Zakat House is set to announce the higher education scholarships under the Zakat Fund.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs in December last year, formulated a new policy to provide assistance from the Zakat Fund to higher education students who do not have the financial means to pursue education in relevant fields.
Director General of Zakat, Izzaddeen Adnan told PSM News that stressed on the importance of human resource development assistance from the Zakat Fund.
In that regard, Izzaddeen said efforts are underway to open the scholarship opportunities for interested students at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
"It is important to build human resource capacity in religious and social fields. The committee is ironing out the last few details before making the announcement,” he explained.
According to the Zakat Fund Higher Education Assistance Policy, all costs for courses from Level 5 to Level 10 of the National Qualifications Framework will be covered under Zakat Fund Scholarships.
While courses in the Islamic field will be prioritised, scholarships will be awarded only for centers that offer courses validated by the Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA) and recognised by the authority. If pursuing education abroad, institutions in select Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries will be prioritised.
The policy also allows pursuing education at educational institutes in non-OIC countries. If the program is for a field that requires a license, the center from which education is obtained must be recognised by the licensing institution and validated by the MQA.
The policy further states that those registered as poor and needy will be prioritised, alongside considerations for financial constraints, education levels, and service to the nation. However, those who wish to pursue a course at a higher level than their existing qualifications, and students who wish to pursue a course that integrates Islamic concepts related to their field of study will be exempt from this sector.
According to the policy, an individual who has already been granted education opportunities through the government or any other state entity is ineligible for higher education assistance under the Zakat Fund.