Cultural Exchange Scholarship Programme: students appeal for release of their monthly stipend

Pakistani PhD candidates studying in Turkish universities under the Cultural Exchange Scholarship Programme between the Turkish government and Ministry of Education, Pakistan have appealed to the government to resume their monthly scholarships which has been suspended by the government for the last two months.
Under the terms of agreement the education ministry is bound to give monthly stipend to these students but the ministry has terminated the scholarships in violation of the agreement and without any notification to the students. Under the culture exchange programme, the ministry of education is bound to give the students 300 US dollars while the Turkish government gives them 150 dollars, said a press release issued here on Saturday.
For this programme, Pakistani students are sent to Turkey, China, Egypt and other friendly countries funded by the ministry of education. These students are selected after a tough competition and NTS tests held throughout the country where top students are selected.
The students have contacted the ministry for addressing their problem but to no avail. The decision of the ministry has endangered the studies of these PhD candidates studying in Turkey who may not continue their studies without scholarship and return to country without any degree.
The students said that they had asked for increase in the scholarship as their combined stipend of 450 dollars was not sufficient in expensive country like Turkey. They receive far less than the PhD scholars sent by HEC to other European countries. The students in these countries receive 900 Euros per month but instead of increasing the stipend they totally withheld it.
"This would be the loss of not only our time and money but also of the government's money that they spent on us if we stop our education without completing degrees," the students said. "We appeal to the government and concerned authorities to immediately resume our scholarships so that we continue our studies," said the students. They said they would move the Supreme Court if their scholarships were not restored with immediate effect.-PR