Allowances of stranded foreign students adjusted to forex realities – Minister

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, on Friday, said the allowances of stranded scholars who have been owed for over 13 months were adjusted due to foreign exchange fluctuations.

Recall that the Federal Ministry of Education announced a slash in allowances for foreign scholars, who are currently stranded in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria, among others.

The stranded scholars are under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship created for education exchange between Nigeria and the partnering countries.

The Federal Scholarship Board supervises the scholarship under the Federal Ministry of Education.

In a letter addressed to the education minister on Friday and obtained exclusively by our correspondent, the scholars begged the minister to reverse the deduction.

The letter reads, “We hope this letter finds you well. We, the students under the Union of Bilateral Education Agreement Scholars (UNBEAS), are writing to formally express our concern and strong opposition to the recent decision to reduce the supplementation allowances, as communicated in your letter dated 23rd of July 2024.

“Honourable Minister Sir, we appreciate the efforts of the Nigerian government in ensuring that we, the beneficiaries of this scheme, are well taken care of so that we can pursue our education without distractions. On our part, we have remained committed to our studies despite the financial hardship and have never been found wanting for crimes or any illegal activities.

“Sir, we have been struggling to survive for 13 months without the stipend and many of us have resorted to taking out loans to pay our bills in the hope that this payment will be made to offset them in the face of increasing global economic challenges and inflation. The 56 per cent reduction in this stipend will leave us with little or no means of survival, as it is not even enough to pay our house rent, light and water bills, transport, and food, as well as other necessities.

“The monthly allowances provided to overseas scholars are critical in ensuring that they can focus on their academic pursuits without undue financial stress. These allowances cover essential living expenses such as housing, food, transportation, and educational materials, all of which are often significantly higher in foreign countries.”

Speaking further in the letter, the scholars demanded full payment of the amounts owed over the past 13 months.

But speaking in a meeting with the National Association of Nigerian Students on Friday, the minister said, “We want to place it on record that the ministry and the Federal Government for that matter have not slashed the allowances due to students.

“What happened is some adjustments in the amount due to them because of Forex fluctuations, and as soon as we get the balance we have applied for, we will pay them.

“But for now, what is in the budget is what we can pay. So, there is no slash, we will even be happy to increase, so this is what has led to the adjustments,” he said.