He said that over 500 Maldivian students are currently studying in Sri Lanka educational institutions and they are brining foreign exchange to Sri Lanka.
“Every student is allowed to bring US$ 1,200 per month for studies accommodations and meals and if their parents are coming with him or her one of the parents can also bring the same amount to Sri Lanka a month”, he said.
He said that for centuries Sri Lanka is a second home for Maldivians and they prefer Sri Lanka more than other counties to pursue their higher education.
“Sri Lanka can easily tap into this potential market by giving them visas for an extended period of time,” he said.
The High Commissioner said that a lesser number of Maldivians are seeking education in India and Australia as they prefer to study in Colombo. “The Sri Lankan government can tap this potential by relaxing existing visa regulations to attract more Maldivian students. The High Commissioner said that the economy of his country is improving rapidly. “The economy faced unprecedented downturn in the Maldives due to the policies adopted by the previous government “, he said. He added that the previous government allowed those who were involved in the tourism sector to pay their taxes in Rufiyaa instead of foreign currency which resulted in economic downturn in the country.
The Maldivian envoy added that his country remains neutral without being aligned to any power blogs. “Our policy is that that Maldives is the first”, he said.
Maldivians are rarely going to other countries in the region for medical treatment even those countries have more facilities in the field. “Hundreds of Maldivians are coming to Colombo for medical treatment and for shopping yearly, and Sri Lanka should tap this market properly”, he said.
The post Maldivian HC Masood Imad urges Lankan govt to grant one year visa to Maldivian students appeared first on DailyNews.