The government has opened the opportunity to participate in the Khateeb training programme for local island and Atoll councilors.
According to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, 50 people will be given the opportunity in the first round.
The shortage of imams and khateebs in many islands has led to the reliance on foreign imams and the need to bring in khateebs from abroad, especially during Ramadan. The government has initiated a nationwide effort to produce trained khateebs across the country to tackle this issue.
The Ministry the opportunity will be given to councillors to deliver the Friday sermon after completing a three-month course conducted through the Quran Centre. The Ministry has now invited interested male councillors to participate in the course.
The selection criteria for the course will include proficiency in reading the Holy Quran, Dhivehi and Arabic.
The duration of the course is 15 weeks with classes scheduled five days a week, held online from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm.
The government has also launched a Young Khateebs Programme, which has been completed by around 270 young men in the first two rounds.
The government has set a goal to train 1,000 young khateebs during this term.