Nigeria-Russia Education Agreement To Be Reviewed.

Nigerian Scholars in Russia Might End up With Unrecognised Certificates.
Nigeria-Russia Education Agreement to be reviewed. The Federal
Scholarship Board (FSB) on Wednesday said the Nigeria-Russia Bilateral
Education Agreement (BEA) would soon be reviewed.
This is disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja by the Director of
Press of the ministry, Mr Agidike Onu. The meeting, according to the
statement was held between officials of the board and the
International Department of the Russian Ministry of Education and
Science, in Moscow, Russia.
The statement noted that the leader of the Nigerian team, the
Director/Secretary of the FSB, Ms Ifeoma Agunwah, had raised some
salient issues.
The issues, Agunwah said had gone against the spirit of the existing
BEA between both countries.
The leader of the Nigerian team pointed out that the current scholars
were awarded scholarships to study up to Master Degree level.
She however said that the Russia Government had changed its domestic
policy that Nigerian scholars might end up with certificates not
recognised in Nigeria.
Agunwah added that there a requirement that BEA scholars should pay
money to cover accommodation during end of session break.
According to her, the best thing to do in the present circumstance was
to have existing scholars to continue with the terms of the BEA that
brought them to Russia.
She said that new scholars would come under a reviewed agreement.
Responding, leader of the Russian team, Mr Boris Zhelezou explained
that the new policy affected both foreign students and Russia
nationals.
He said that it was a significant policy shift which required a
re-designation of mandate and scope of higher institutions in Russia.
Zhelezou explained that he was of the opinion that Nigerian students
affected by the policy should first accept a first degree.
On completion of the first degree, he said they could seek admission
for Masters Degree in any institutions licenced to award such degrees.
However, he said all issues pertaining to the new policy would be
tabled before the Nigerian government while negotiating a new
Bilateral Education Agreement.
The statement also said that the Nigerian Ambassador to Russia, Mr
Assam Assam, commended the board for discharging its duties
creditably.
It stated that Assam gave the commendation when he received the
delegation from FSB and the officials from Ministry of Education in
his office at the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow, Russia.
The statement said the team was in Russia to monitor the progress and
welfare of BEA scholars. It also quoted the Ambassador as saying that
he had no doubt that the Board was transparent in the selection
process of Bilateral Education Agreement scholars.
Assam said that he knew the intricacies of the budgeting process at
home and how it affected remittances to the students. He said that he
was convinced that the FSB and the ministry were working under
difficult circumstances to meet up with the remittance of allowances
to the scholars as and when due.
The ambassador suggested that a proposal be made to the government at
home to find ways of securing express approval for scholarship funds.
This, he said would ensure that it did not get trapped in annual
budgetary rituals. Assam rated the performances of BEA students in
Russia high, saying that he had no doubt that they were among the best
that competed for places under the BEA Scheme.
Agunwah said that they were also in Russia to have first-hand
experience of some of the reports of the scholars that the embassy had
filed in the past.
The visiting team earlier met with the executives of the Association
of Nigerian Students in Russia. (NAN).