Parents of student beneficiaries of the federal government’s Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship programme have staged a protest at the the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja over the non-payment of 16 months of arrears of living allowances.
They occupied the entrance of the ministry with placards, reports Channels TV.
The federal government’s BEA is a fully funded initiative that allows Nigerian students to study abroad in partner countries like Russia, China, Hungary, and Morocco.
The programme covers tuition, accommodation, and medical care, while also providing a living allowance of $500 monthly for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The allowance was, however, slashed to $220 per student per month in 2024.
The protesters said the government’s inability to meet its obligations had made many of the beneficiaries stranded in their respective countries of studies.
… developing story
