New guidelines for scholarships get support and criticism

A government decree to streamline the awarding of scholarships to higher education students in Mauritania in a more transparent and just process, following allegations of nepotism and favouritism in the past, has elicited mixed responses from the university sector.

While the General Union of Mauritanian Students (UGEM), sees the draft decree as a positive move, the National Union of Mauritanian Students (UNEM), has called for amendments because it believes the draft decree will exclude thousands of students.

The Council of Ministers approved the draft decree on 16 January during a meeting under the chairmanship of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani.

The draft decree is in response to concerns raised by Mauritanian student unions and associations at home and abroad about the alleged violation of guidelines in the awarding of foreign scholarships and their earlier calls for the establishment of a fair and transparent selection system.

New draft decree for scholarships

Speaking at a news conference, Yacoub Ould Amin, the minister of higher education and scientific research, said that the new decree eliminates the age eligibility criterion, which determined the applicant had to be no older than 22, which has been an obstacle for many students in obtaining scholarships.

He added that the draft decree sets four basic selection criteria for guidance, including social support on the basis of the social registry database, which includes data about poor households who benefit from social protection programmes; student excellence; institutional merit, which entails the role an institution plays in national development; and support for decentralisation in higher education “where special priority is given to students enrolled in higher education institutions located outside the capital, Nouakchott”.

The minister also indicated the establishment of an e-platform that students can use to apply for scholarships and that will allow the automated processing of student files according to clear criteria for students, which will support transparency, justice and fairness.

A positive move

Al-Tohamy Sayed Mohamed, the secretary general of UGEM, told University World News via WhatsApp that, whereas the new draft decree had several points that UGEM appreciated, especially supporting academically deserving students at all levels, as well as cancelling requirements that disqualified students such as their age or dropping out of education between bachelor and masters degrees, it emphasised the necessity of generalising the scholarships to all male and female students at home and abroad.

“Our final position remains dependent on the extent to which these priorities are implemented,” Mohamed said, adding, “According to our knowledge from the ministry’s sources, the status of the scholarships is heading for improvement in terms of quantity and quality.”

A call for amendments

Mohamed Hamady Sidihelballa, the assistant secretary general for external relations of UNEM, told University World News via WhatsApp: “Currently, under the new criteria, no one will receive the scholarship except excellent students who are included in the social registry and who study at new institutions and institutions outside the capital, and these criteria, in general, only include a few students.

“Giving priority to students included in the social support registry will exclude thousands of students because the number of beneficiaries from the registry is lower than what [is envisaged to be awarded]. There are many reservations about [this requirement],” said Sidihelballa.

“At present, the number of students registered in institutions outside the capital city barely reaches 1,600 and the institutions are unable to accommodate or train more than that – and, suffice to say here that the number of those directed to one of these institutions [in a previous round of awards] were only 29 students.

“The new institutions are closer [in terms of what they do] to vocational training institutions and can accommodate only a few students,” Sidihelballa said.

“We hope that amendments will be made to some of the basic criteria for the awarding of scholarships because, if left as they are, they will exclude thousands of students.”