GAROWE, Somalia Sep 8 2012 (Garowe Online) – Puntland Ministry of Education announced that the Somali government left out Puntland students from a scholarship program funded by Sudan, Garowe Online reports.   

Puntland’s Deputy Minister of Education Abidrahman Diriye Arab held a press conference on Friday in Garowe, where he stated that the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) did not give students from regions in Somalia scholarships which were issued to Somalia’s TFG.

“The scholarships that our given to Somalia our not equally shared amongst the students from different regions of Somalia,” said Minister Abdirahman.

The Minister stated that the Puntland government and the TFG signed two different agreements which included that resources and funds given to the TFG be shared.

“The TFG’s Ministry of Education has broken the previous agreements which were signed between the two governments and continue to break the agreements,” said Minister Abdirahman.

An agreement signed by the TFG’s then Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali and Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole in 2009, stated that Puntland will be given %25 of student scholarships.

The Ministry of Education’s Examinations Department director Ahmed Saahid said that the TFG’s Minister of Education Dr. Ahmed Aydid is responsible for breaking the previous agreements and leaving out students from Puntland and other regions.

“The Minister of Education is well aware of the previous agreements and he did not offer any of the scholarships from Sudan to Puntland students,” said director Sahid.

It’s not the first time Puntland students were left out of scholarships, last year almost 100 students were chosen for scholarships to Turkey however less than half were taken to Turkey and the rest were left behind in Mogadishu.

Minister Abdirahman requested that the new government respect previous agreements and work for Somalia and their students instead of their own interests.

GAROWE ONLINE