President: moral, skilled youth more valuable than tall buildings

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said  that building capable and morally strong youth is more important than building the tallest structures.

He made the remarks while launching the Maldives National Service at the MNDF training center in Maafilaafushi. The program, introduced by the President, aims to help young people become responsible, skilled, and committed citizens.

Speaking to the first group of students who began their training today, the President said this marks the beginning of an important chapter in building the nation.

“I truly believe it’s more important to develop youth who are skilled, have strong values, and love their country and religion, than it is to build a fifty-storey building,” he said.

He encouraged the students to take the training seriously and to see it as a valuable opportunity.

“Hopefully, when you complete this training and move to the next stage of the program, you will become the kind of people we all hope for, and the kind of people you want to become. You will be more capable of serving your country and living your lives with strength and purpose,” the President added.

President Muizzu has previously said that those who complete the National Service program will have the option to join the army or police. He also shared that a new law for the program is in the works, which will include more details about how it will operate.

For now, the hope is provide an allowance of MVR 6,000 for participants.

The first round of the National Service program includes 343 youth from 107 islands, aged between 16 and 29. This group was selected from 1,242 applicants.