Nigeria’s Federal Scholarship Board (FSB), a department of the Ministry of Education, has reduced the monthly stipends for scholars who are beneficiaries of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA).
This was contained in a letter dated 23 July 2024 and seen by West Africa Weekly, indicating a notification of adjustment of supplementation allowances for the 2024 academic year.
In the letter filed ED/SC/224/FSBII/337, the Ministry stated that the “prevailing situation concerning the domestic exchange rate in Nigeria makes it difficult for the FSB to sustain the payment of BEA scholars’ allowance as contained in the award letters issued at the point of departure to the host countries,” hence the adjustment.
The FSB stated the decision was in line with the budgetary provisions in paying BEA scholars’ supplementation allowances for the academic year 2024.
In notifying the Association of Nigerian BEA Students in Russia and reiterating its commitment, the Ministry noted that the balances for 2023/2024 allowances owed to the scholars would be paid “as soon as the funds are made available.”
Recall that West Africa Weekly exclusively reported what is now 13 months of unpaid allowance to scholars in Russia, Algeria, Hungary, and Morocco. In their struggle, the students were forced to take up manual labour to feed and live unsheltered as landlords evicted some of them.
Upon complaint and media reports, the Ministry stated that the federal government had yet to start utilising capital expenditure as a reason for non-payment of the mandatory allowances.
Meanwhile, the BEA agreement explicitly mandates the host countries to pay students’ school fees while the Nigerian government caters to their accommodation and feeding.
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