President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih says as of now 15,000 students have enrolled and are now studying under the Government’s Free First Degree Program.
In a tweet, the President said that the administration's aim is to produce a generation of well-rounded, highly educated young people who can contribute meaningfully to nation-building.
The Ministry of Higher Education said that the 15,000 students include 10,050 female students and 4,950 male students.
In a further breakdown, the Ministry said that in 2019, 4,804 students enrolled in the program while in 2020, 4,818 students were accepted into the program. The Ministry also said that in 2022 around 3,301 students began studying for their first degree under the program and that so far in 2022, 2077 students have joined the free degree program.
Speaking about the program, Minister of Higher Education Dr. Ibrahim Hassan said because of President's pledge, many students got the chance to complete their degrees without leaving their families.
He further said that this had paved the way for an educational generation and that this would also benefit future generations.
The free first degree was launched on 14th February 2019 and was one of the key pledges made by President Solih during his presidential campaign.
Earlier this year, in his annual address to the Parliament, the President said by 2023 around 5,000 individuals would be involved in nation-building after completing their first degrees through the program. He further said that each subsequent year 2000 students would join the workforce having completed their degrees.
The Higher Education Ministry said that around 5,163 students who enrolled in the program have now completed their studies.
