By Mabinty M. Kamara
The leader for the Sierra Leonean students studying in Pakistan has expressed concerns over the nonpayment of their annual stipend due from the government for the 2021/2022 academic year.
Speaking to Politico, Abu Macavoray said they are currently “going through untold suffering”.
“Life has become unbearable as our stipend from HEC is Twenty thousand Pakistani Rupees ($100 US) for Ph.D. and MPhil/Master's students, and ten thousand Rupees ($50 US) for undergraduate students,” he said.
This according to him is not in tune with the economic realities in Pakistan.
The scholarship, Macavoray noted, is partially provided by the Pakistani government. The Pakistani government pays the tuition fees and the monthly stipends. That, he said is for all levels of studies including the MPhil & Ph.D. students, while the Sierra Leone government gives $1,800 per annum to each student as part of its contribution to the programme.
“The stipend from our government is what we rely on to augment our stay. Our authorities didn't understand the prevailing conditions here. We've been through a lot of embarrassments, always asking for loans from our university authorities, to be paid when our stipends are released onto us,” he said.
He added: “Even the stipend is very small, but if we are getting it on time that will save us from a lot of stress and embarrassments”.
Speaking to Politico, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Gilbert Cooper said the case of the Sierra Leonean students in Pakistan is not an isolated one as the government has about 400 students on scholarships in Russia, China, Cuba, and other hard to reach countries around the world who are in similar situations and that the government is not insensible to their plights.
However, he said due to the prevailing economic situation in the country, the Ministry of Finance has to prioritise expenditure. But said the allowances have now been approved by the ministry of finance and that they were working on processing the relevant documents so that funds when available will be transferred to the various missions where they have students.
Cooper could not say when the transfer would be made but appealed to the students to be patient as they work on finalizing things.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (22/06/22)
