India has provided 74 scholarships in Indian institutions of learning to Maldivian students who wish to pursue their studies in India, the Indian High Commission said in a statement Monday.  "India attaches the highest importance to its relations with the Maldives and is committed to cooperating with the Maldives in its developmental efforts," the statement read.

Around the world, international education has become a policy priority for almost every developed and developing country. But just how significant is higher education to a country’s reputation and what exactly is soft power?

Since its creation in the summer of 1946, the Fulbright program has become the “flagship international educational exchange program” of the US government. Over the past 67 years, almost 320,000 students, scholars and teachers have traveled internationally as part of the program’s vast effort to improve mutual understanding between nations. Understandably, given the profound effect these experiences have had on the lives of grant recipients, the Fulbright is often seen as among the most liberal, generous, and benevolent international programs of the US state.