FG Scraps Foreign Scholarship Scheme
The Federal Government has announced the cancellation of the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship scheme, citing “waste of resources.”
Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, made this announcement during a visit by newly elected officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students on Tuesday.
This came a few days after the ministry revealed that recent exchange rate fluctuations led to shortfalls in fund disbursement for Nigerian students studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Programme.
The ministry had explained that the minister formally requested additional funding to cover the differentials and ensure the full remittance of entitlements to all affected students.
Despite all these efforts, the minister told the students that the scholarship will be scrapped due to high cost of funding the programme, lack of academic monitoring, and the fact that courses being studied abroad are available in Nigerian universities.
“2024, when I assumed office, I was asked to approve N650 million for 60 students going to Morocco under the BEA programme. I refused. It’s not fair to Nigerian students.
“I reviewed the courses—some students went to Algeria, a French-speaking country, to study English, Psychology, and Sociology—courses we teach better in Nigeria,” the minister said.
He, however, assured that current beneficiaries would complete their studies, but no new admissions would be accepted under the arrangement from 2025 onward.
“By the end of 2024, all outstanding scholarships will be cleared. The 2025 scholarships are pending due to the budget appropriation process. They will be paid in the coming months. However, we will not continue the programme beyond 2025,”he said.
He stated that N9 billion was allocated for just 1,200 students in 2025, which he deemed unjustifiable.
“In 2025 alone, the government planned to spend N9 billion on just 1,200 students. It’s unjust to spend such a huge amount sending students abroad to study courses available locally while millions of Nigerian students receive no support,” he stated.
The funds previously allocated to the program, he said, would be redirected towards domestic scholarship programs, benefiting more students nationwide.
Responding, NANS President, Olushola Oladoja, commended the minister for progress made in the education sector.
The BEA programme enabled Nigerian students to study in partner countries such as China, Russia, Algeria, Hungary, Morocco, Egypt, and Serbia.
FG Scraps Foreign Scholarship Scheme is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
