By Our Reporter
Foreign scholars under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship, face deportation as Federal Government on Wednesday, announced a reduction in their monthly stipend (allowance), as a result of hardship in the country.
The scholars who bemoaned their plight also noted that their fate hangs in the balance as the federal government had failed to release their allowances for over a year, adding that they were in dire need of money and have been subjected to living in a state of extreme poverty.
The BEA scholarship is for the purpose of education exchange between Nigeria and the partnering countries.
Some of the affected scholars are currently in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria, among others, where they are reportedly stranded..
The government’s decision to slash the scholars’ allowances was contained in a memo signed by the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, Ndajiwo H.A., on behalf of the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman.
The students are studying under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement, BEA, Scholarship which was established for education exchange between Nigeria and the partnering countries.
The Federal Scholarship Board, FSB, is supervising the scholarship under the Federal Ministry of education.
The memo read: ” I am directed to inform you that the prevailing situation concerning the domestic exchange rate in Nigeria makes it difficult for the Federal Scholarship Board to sustain the payment of Bilateral Agreement, BEA, scholars’ allowances as contained in the award letters issued at the point of departure to the host countries.
”After due consultations, the Federal Scholarship Board, FSB, has come up with adjustments in line with budgetary provisions in the payment of BEA scholar’s supplementation allowances for the 2024 academic year.”
Based on the memo, supplementation allowances per month are slashed from $500 to $220; PG research allowance from $1,000 to $500; and passage/graduation allowance from $2,500 to $2,000.
However, the warm clothing allowance per annum remained unchanged at $250; the health insurance allowance $200; the pilot allowance $700; and the medical allowance $500.