How to Apply / Maldives

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How to Apply

Maldives

How to Apply

Application for JDS 2020 is already closed.
Below information is for JDS 2020.
Information for JDS 2021 will be updated.

DEADLINE EXTENDED:
Application deadline has been extended to 3 February (Wed) 2021

1. Applicant Eligibility

Nationality	Citizens of the Republic of Maldives
Age	Between 22 and 39 years old as of 1st April 2021 (Born on/after 2nd April 1981 and born on/before 1st April 1999)
Academic Background	Hold a Bachelor’s Degree from universities authorized by the Government of Maldives or other countries
Academic Background	Other requirements of academic background University of Tsukuba Those who have less than 16 years of formal education (from primary school to university) need to go through the eligibility screening after being selected as Final candidate.
Occupation	Civil Servants Permanent Staff at independent institutions
Work	Currently employed in the Target Organizations as a full-time employee (Except contract staff). Have at least 2 (two) years of work experience including a period of probation as full-time employee in the target organizations at the time of application (Part time jobs and volunteer activities are not counted as work experience). *Applicants can summate all the experience period among different Target Organizations
English Proficiency	Have a good command of both written and spoken English. IELTS 6.0 or higher is preferable ※JDS office will arrange IELTS test for those who do not have valid score. ※It is required for all GRIPS Fellows to obtain IELTS 6.0 or higher by the time of university application (Mar 2021).
Health Condition	Mentally and physically in good health.
Others	Must understand the objective of JDS project well, and have a strong willingness to work for the development of Maldives and contribute to the friendly relations between Maldives and Japan after their return
Ineligibility	A person corresponds to the followings is not eligible to apply Those who are currently receiving (or is scheduled to receive) another scholarship (including other scholarships of Japan). Those who have obtained a master’s or higher degrees

2. Target Organization

JDS Maldives targets Civil Servants and Permanent Staff at independent institutions.

◆ Civil servants

Target	Ministry, Agency, Authority, City Council, Domestic Airport, Independent Civil Service Office, Other, Atoll Council, Island Council
Not Target	Health Centre, Health Service, Hospital, School

◆ Permanent Staff at Independent Institution

Target	All

Please check the List of Target Organizations

3. Selection Procedures

1) Video Seminars

The following videos are available for all the prospective applicants to have more detailed information on JDS project / studying in Japan and how to prepare the application documents.

Video1　This is JDS – Outline of JDS Project

Video2　How to Apply for JDS

Video3　Interview with a graduate from Japanese University

2) Application Deadline

Deadline for Application: ~~17th January (Sun) 2021~~
⇒ Extended to 3rd February (Wed) 2021 (Closed)

Application documents will not be returned for any reason. Late submission and incomplete application documents shall NOT be accepted.

3) Tentative Schedule

Schedule	Steps	Description
29 November – 3 February 2021	Application	Closing Date: 12:00 p.m. on 3 February (Wed) 2021 To Ministry of Higher Education Further details → Application Guidelines P6“Application Documents”

TBA*	Academic aptitude test	English (IELTS) and Math tests The test results will be reviewed by the universities in later selection stages Applicants who have valid IELTS score will be exempted from the English test. Applicants for the Ritsumeikan University will be exempted from the Math test.

February 2021	1st Selection	Document Screening: Application Documents and research plan will be examined by the Japanese universities. Those who passed the 1st selection will proceed to the 2nd selection.

Late February – Early March	2nd Selection	Technical Interview: Faculty members of the Japanese Universities will conduct their interview exams online. Those who passed the 2nd selection will proceed to the 3rd selection.

Early – Middle March	Health Checkup	The health checkup will be arranged at a hospital in Male'
		The health checkup will be arranged at a hospital in Male'
Middle March	3rd Selection	Comprehensive Interview: The Operating Committee members will conduct the interview exams.

Late March	Approval by the OC	Successful candidates will be approved and notified

Mar – Apr 2021	Application Procedure	JICE will support application for each university
Jul 2021	Orientations	Provided by JICA and JICE
Aug, 2021	Departure for Japan	JICE will arrange air-ticket, visa, and also support after the arrival in Japan

*The selection schedule and implementation method are subject to change.
*The detailed schedule of English and Math tests will be announced later, considering the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

<Important Notes>

All the selection costs will be covered by JDS Project.
Limited transportation and accommodation allowance will be provided to candidates coming from provincial areas for the selections.
Application Documents will not be returned (Please keep a copy of your documents)
Application Documents with false statements or plagiarism will be immediately disqualified
A result of each selection will be announced only to successful candidates by JICE JDS Project Office.
In principle, reasons of the selection-results will not be disclosed.

4. Download of Application Guideline and Application Documents

Please refer to the Application Guideline and submit a full set of application documents by the deadline.

A. Application Guideline
B. Application Documents
C. Additional Documents for GRIPS Applicants

5. Note

Research Plan

In the JDS selections, each candidate will be evaluated on her/his academic abilities enough to pursue the master program in Japan as well as the potential of the future contribution to the country. Thus, it is highly recommended to explain that the objective of your research plan be in connection with the development issues under applying Component, and to rationalize how the study will be addressed in accordance with the career path, corresponding to the current position and responsibility in the belonging organization.
It is also recommended to study your applying university to make sure if the curriculums of the university and fields of specialization of faculty members are relevant to your research.
Remember that plagiarize from somebody’s work or websites are strongly prohibited.
Please refer to ‘Tips on Application and Selection (Reference)’ and ‘Guideline for Writing a Research Plan’ in the Application Guideline for more information.

English & Math Exam

<Note>English & Math exam will be postponed this year. JICE will announce the details later.

All qualified applicants, except those who have valid IETLS score, will be required to take English proficiency test (IELTS) in Male’. Math test will be also conducted for the applicants for University of Tsukuba and National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.

IELTS consists of 4 parts: 'Listening' for 30 minutes, ‘Reading' for 60 minutes, ‘Writing’ for 60 minutes and ‘Speaking” for 11 - 14 minutes.

Math test of around 60 minutes consists of Arithmetic operations, Solving fractions, Equations, Inequality, Matrix, Basic quadratic functions, Basic operations of exponential and logarithmic functions, Basic Integral and Differentiation, etc.
Past Math test　sample can be also downloaded here.

The scores will be reviewed on the 1st selection by the accepting universities. Universities may require the applicants to have good command of English skill (IELTS) and numeracy skills. Please be well prepared for the exams.