By Ogochukwu Isioma

The Democratic Front (TDF) has said the decision by the federal government to scrap the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) scholarship scheme is a well-thought-out one.

This, according to the group, is because of the drain it has continued to constitute in the nation’s resources.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, it expressed surprise that the scholarships were for courses that could be better learnt in the country at a cheaper rate.

TDF said: “In our considered opinion, this laudable action is long overdue, given the inherent lack of merit and huge economic waste that characterized the BEA scholarship programme.

“Apart from draining a humongous chunk of the nation’s annual education budget, the BEA programme is not known to have established any remarkable legacy of relevance in Nigeria’s educational development since its commencement.

“Besides, revelation by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, that N650 million was recommended for approval for payment to just 60 students in Morocco for 2024 alone, offers a disturbing insight into the type of drainpipe the BEA programme had been on public fund, and a justification of the decision to scrap it.

“We believe that the technical absurdity in operating the BEA scholarship programme, alongside an effective student loan scheme like the NELFUND, should not, and cannot be encouraged or tolerated by a responsible and focused government like the Bola Tinubu administration.

“Also, it is inconceivable that Nigerian students in Russia, Morocco, Algeria, Serbia, Hungary, and Egypt can achieve their full academic potential due to language barriers. This is because they are expected to study foreign languages as enshrined in the bilateral agreement with those countries.

“For us, it is one of the major reasons such students are not able to compete favourably with their counterparts in Nigerian universities at the end of their studies abroad. This clearly underscores the inadequacies of the education they acquired from other countries when compared with the Nigerian standard.

“The lack of transparency as well as the delay in the payment of stipends to beneficiaries has also, over the years, created public doubt around the sustainability of the programme so it is a good thing that the government has opted to scrap it.”

TDF also called on Youths and all university students in the country to utilize the opportunities presented by the President Tinubu administration to advance their quest for quality education.