MVR 9.3 Million Spent on Students Already Holding Bachelor’s Degrees; Audit Cites Lack of Verification Framework
Over 8,000 students enrolled in the government’s free degree programme | Photo: The President’s Office
The government spent MVR 9.36 million on 271 students who had already obtained bachelor’s degrees before joining the Free First Degree Scheme, with the Auditor General finding that the lack of a centralised qualification verification system allowed ineligible students to receive state-funded tuition.
The finding is contained in the Auditor General’s Performance Audit Report on the First Degree Scheme, which examined the programme from its introduction in February 2019 to December 2024.
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The audit found that the Ministry of Higher Education did not have a system linked to the Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) or higher education institutions to verify whether applicants already held a bachelor’s degree before approving them for the scheme.
The government spent a total of MVR 835.7 million under the scheme during the six-year period, with 16,388 of 19,265 applicants approved for funding.
The audit also found that at least MVR 19.09 million was paid for 790 students who subsequently dropped out or failed their programmes, with no mechanism in place to recover the funds.
The Auditor General recommended establishing a centralised database linking the Ministry, MQA and higher education institutions to verify eligibility and track students’ progress, dropouts and deferrals.
The report also identified gaps in monitoring the scheme’s outcomes, noting that the government lacked sufficient systems to track graduation rates, dropouts and employment outcomes.
Of the beneficiaries, 73 per cent enrolled at private institutions, while 27 per cent enrolled at the Maldives National University and Islamic University of Maldives.
