The government has spent MVR 422 million on training public servants so far this year, a 70 percent increase from the same period last year.

According to the Ministry of Finance, MVR248 million was spent on training last year.

The state budget for this year allocates MVR620 million for training programmes conducted both in the Maldives and overseas.

The budgeted allocation for training this year is 170 percent higher than last year.

Training expenditure has also increased significantly due to the government’s Maldives National Service programme, under which 1,000 young people are to be trained annually for positions in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and police.

Participants in the programme receive a monthly training allowance of MVR6,000.

The first batch of National Service trainees began training in 2024 at an MNDF training centre in Lhaviyani Maafilaafushi.