Monrovia – Liberian students studying in China are complaining that they are stranded financially. Many of them are desperate for support amid concerns about the Coronavirus outbreak in the world’s most populous nation.
According to some of the students, who communicated with FrontPageAfrica through social media on the basis of anonymity, they are calling on the Liberian government to remit to them allowances owed them for over one year.
One female student said even though she was frustrated that since she started her studies in China in 2018, she has only received three months allowance.
She said the government must “come to our aid in this time of an international health crisis which is directly affecting us”.
“The government has money for us for 11 months and we need our money at this difficult time. They were giving us US$350 even though they reduced it to US$ 75; we still cannot receive our money,” the female student said, adding, “If they can give us our allowance, it will be helpful for us at this difficult time.”
She continued: “The truth is [that] the Chinese government is doing very well for us and my university is even providing free meals for us. If it hasn’t been for the Chinese government, who has been able to keep us up with her side of the bilateral agreement, things were going to be very difficult for us.”
Another student added that they are “mentally and financially disturbed”, adding that he is afraid about sustaining himself if the situation doesn’t come under control in the earliest possible time.
“We need financial assistance from our government to be able to sustain ourselves. If the government can give us what they owe us as per the contract before embarking on this academic journey, we could use that to sustain ourselves during this crisis,” he stressed.
“The government has money for us for 11 months and we need our money at this difficult time. They were giving us US$350 even though they reduced it to US$ 75; we still cannot receive our money,” the female student said, adding, “If they can give us our allowance, it will be helpful for us at this difficult time.”
– One of the stranded students in China
According to him, students normally use the money given to them by the Chinese government to pay bills and academic expenses.
“And right now we need more money for other things like food, provision, protective gears like masks and so on,” he explained.
These students who got in touch with FPA are based in Wuhan City, the epicenter of the Coronavirus.
FrontPage Africa has also gathered that students, who recently travelled to China as part of the Ministry of Education scholarship program, have not also received allowances for six months.
The Liberian students’ complaint comes as the Coronavirus has been declared a global health crisis by the World Health Organization (WHO).
It can be recalled that over 52 of the 84 stranded Liberian scholarship students in Morocco Wednesday, July 31st, stormed the Liberian Embassy in that country with their belongings, including mattresses, comforters and suitcases, demanding to speak with their country’s President, Mr. George Weah, for their 10-month allowances.
The Government has regularly sent students under the MOU that it will pay them their monthly allowances quarterly, until the completion of their studies. The students are to return and serve in various government agencies upon the completion of their studies.
When contacted by our reporter several times, the Ministry of Education through its Communication office and its Division of Scholarship could not deny or affirm the students’ concerns but rather said that they will communicate with us eventually.