False assurance of ‘fully funded’ scholarships, Bangladeshi students under cost pressure after going to Pakistan

Pakistan had announced ‘fully funded’ or completely financed scholarships for Bangladeshi students. But after completing applications, examinations and a long selection process, the offer letters that reached the students selected for master’s degrees do not include most of the promised benefits. Students have alleged that although tuition fees and accommodation costs have been waived, no arrangement has been made for food, monthly allowance, transport, air fare, visa and other incidental expenses.

During the Dhaka visit of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in August last year, a ‘Knowledge Corridor’ was announced to increase higher education, research and people-to-people contact between the two countries. Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC) is implementing this programme. Ishaq Dar’s visit was the first by any Pakistani foreign minister to Dhaka in about 13 years. Before that then foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar had come to Dhaka in 2012.

Under the Knowledge Corridor a total of 500 full scholarships were to be given to Bangladeshi students over five years. In the scholarships announced for bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level students, tuition fees, monthly living allowance, monthly accommodation costs, one-time settlement allowance and one-time return air tickets were to be provided. These benefits for selected students were also mentioned in notices published by the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission and various education fairs.

In the first phase of the programme about 74 Bangladeshi students went to Pakistan step by step in February and started studying at different universities. Then the activities of the second phase of the Pakistan Education Expo started in Dhaka in May and applications were taken from students afresh. But the students selected for master’s in the second phase came to know at the final stage of the admission process that instead of the previously announced full funding only the facility of waiving tuition fees and dormitory or accommodation costs is being given.

On condition of anonymity one student said that from the beginning the notices and official posts of the relevant authorities had mentioned the scholarship as ‘fully funded’. For this reason the students waited for a long time after completing every stage of application, examination and selection. But receiving the proposal of only bearing tuition fees and accommodation costs at the final stage of the process has left them disappointed. His allegation is that if there was no opportunity for full funding in master’s from the beginning, the matter should have been made clear at the start of applications.

Ashraful Islam Rumman, selected for master’s at PAF-IAST in Haripur, also spoke about the difference between the benefits announced in the offer letter and reality. According to him, although tuition fees, accommodation, air fare, monthly stipend and settlement allowance were mentioned in the promotion of the Knowledge Corridor, only 100 percent tuition fees and bearing of accommodation costs are mentioned in the offer letter given to him. Living, transport, visa, medical insurance and other costs are not included in it.

Another student Abu Musa said that no facility of monthly living allowance, food, health insurance or air fare has been kept in his offer letter either. His claim is that continuing studies while staying in Pakistan without a monthly stipend is difficult for students like him. At the same time he alleged that instead of the university and programme he had applied for, a proposal has been given to send him to another university without any discussion with him.

Several other selected students have also made similar allegations. Their claim is that after making them apply by talking of ‘fully funded’ scholarships, partial benefits have been offered at the final stage. This has wasted the time, money and labour of the students. Some have even compared this process to fraud. In addition, there are allegations that the results of the master’s were also delayed compared to the scheduled time.

An email was sent to the relevant authorities of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission seeking information on the matter on September 1 but no reply had been received until the writing of the report. Counsellor of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka Shabid Ullah Wazir said that as the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Higher Education Commission they are trying to collect information from there. However, even after contacting later he said he had not received any information from the relevant authorities.

No response was received either when the matter was sought from the relevant director general of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Secretary (bilateral) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nazrul Islam said the matter is not in ‘our knowledge’.

According to former ambassador Munshi Faiz, such a difference between the announcement and the actual benefits amounts to fraud with the students. Former ambassador Mahfuzur Rahman has demanded a solution to the matter from a logical and humanitarian perspective.

Retired Major General and former ambassador Shahidul Haque said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should look into the matter with importance. If there is any coordination gap somewhere it needs to be resolved quickly, because the future of the students is involved with it.