Govt. revising stipend for students studying abroad for the first time in seven years

Higher Education Minister Dr. Ali Haidar, on Monday, has announced the government’s is currently revising the stipend awarded to students studying aboard on various government loan schemes – citing it will mark the first revision in seven years.

Speaking on the ‘Tharujamaanaa Eku’, a podcast hosted by the President’s Office’s spokesperson Heena Waleed, Minister Haidar acknowledged that the Higher Education Ministry continues to receive complaints regarding failure to disburse stipend funds on time for students studying abroad.

The Minister added that there have been cases where there have been eight-week delays in the disbursement of stipends due to various issues.

He detailed that these issues are mainly faced by students studying on various government loan schemes. According to the Minister, often these issues arise because the stipend which has been approved for a specific country is not enough to cover the expenses incurred at another country, where the student has been forced to relocate. He emphasized that stipends are set country-wise.

Nevertheless, Minister Haidar said efforts are underway to revise the stipend structure.

“The same stipend has been used for roughly seven years now. The living expenses in each country is increasing, hence, we commence the revision process this year,” he said.

The Minister added that, following the revision of the stipend structure, students studying abroad will be provided with sufficient funds to cover living expenses in their respective countries.

Notably, North Galolhu MP Mohamed Ibrahim (Kudoo) submitted a detailed report to the Minister regarding the stipend issue back in December.

The main concerns raised in this report include delays in the disbursement of tuition fees and stipend, delays in receiving reimbursements and difficulties in communicating with the Higher Education Ministry.

According to Kudoo, the report is based upon two documents comprising of complaints from students. In this regard, the first document reports delays in financial transactions such as a months’ delay in disbursement for reimbursement for airfare and other expenses. It also reports difficulties in communicating with the Ministry, such as “seenzoning” messages sent by students.

The second document underpinning Kudoo’s report emphasises that the stipend, set several years ago, does not adequately meet current needs due to inflation.

It also highlights cases where the Ministry’s failure to pay tuition fees have resulted in students studying abroad, such as in Australia, facing suspended bank accounts and restricted access to their academic results and classes. In some cases, the issue has escalated to the potential cancellation of scholarships.

Commenting on Kudoo’s report in December, Minister Haidar assured that the government would revise the stipend to resolve the issues.