Ministry’s scholarship notice sparks dissatisfaction among academics, parents

• Many parents asserted that all students, regardless of acceptance status, should be informed of the rankings of those accepted in scholarship countries to uphold transparency and fairness in the selection process.

The Ministry of Higher Education’s announcement of those accepted into the original foreign scholarship plan for the academic year 2024-2025, which omitted customary details such as names, student grades, and specializations, has sparked dissatisfaction among many academics, activists, and parents, the Al Qabas newspaper reported.

Many parents considered the ministry’s lack of clarity in announcing the recipients of foreign scholarships as a lack of transparency that harms students’ interests. They argued that all students, whether accepted or rejected, deserve to know the ranking of those accepted in scholarship countries to uphold transparency principles and ensure fairness in the selection process.

Many tweeters wondered why the ministry refrained from following the announcement method used in previous years and speculated whether there was something to hide in the mission results.

It is customary for the Ministry of Higher Education to announce the names of accepted students along with their grades, specialization, and scholarship country.

This practice is seen as applying the principle of transparency, allowing students to understand the minimum grades accepted in scholarship countries and compare their application status against the highest and lowest grades achieved by other applicants.

In addition, informed sources stated that the ministry had been studying different methods for announcing the accepted students in recent days. There were opinions advocating for announcing the names of those whose grades had not been disclosed, citing parental preferences against disclosing their children’s grades.

Conversely, other opinions supported continuing the practice of announcing both names and grades as before. Ultimately, the decision was made to follow the suggestion of not disclosing names, instead inviting accepted students to check their scholarship application status via the website using their civil number.