The Nigerian Government has cut the allowances for students studying abroad under the Bilateral Educational Agreement (BEA) Scholarship by 12.7 percent. This has left scholars in Russia, Morocco, Algeria, and other countries stranded.
The reduction was announced through a memo issued by the Nigerian Government, signed by Ndajiwo H.A, the Director of the Federal Scholarship Board, on behalf of the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman. The memo explained that the remaining balance owed to the students would be paid once funds are available, attributing the reduction to the current economic crisis in the country.
Recently, Nigerian students in countries such as Russia, Morocco, Algeria, China, and Hungary, who are on Federal Government scholarships, have reported not receiving their stipends for eight months.
The BEA scholarship is an educational exchange program between Nigeria and partner countries, overseen by the Federal Scholarship Board under the Federal Ministry of Education.
The memo stated, “After due consultations, the Federal Scholarship Board has come up with adjustments in line with budgetary provisions in the payment of BEA scholar’s supplementation allowances for the 2024 academic year.”
It specified that monthly allowances were reduced from $500 to $220, the graduation allowance from $2,500 to $2,000, and the Post-Graduate research allowance from $1,000 to $500. Consequently, the total amount initially payable to each student was $5,650 but will now be $4,370 per scholar.
“The scholars’ association is hereby notified that due to the prevailing economic situation, the payment mandate for the BEA scholars’ allowances will be as per the new adjustment. The balances for the years 2023 and 2024 owed to scholars will be paid as soon as the funds are made available,” the government stated.
