The Education Ministry has questioned instructions by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to review the awarding of scholarships from the Zakat (alms for the poor) fund, reports Haveeru.
State Minister for Education Aminath Ali denied the ACC’s claim that deserving recipients were denied scholarships due to flaws in the selection process, carried out jointly by the Education Ministry, Zakat Fund Committee and the Islamic Ministry.
Of 812 applicants, 320 were selected for the scholarships, she revealed.
“ACC had highlighted that though orphans deserved a mandatory nine points, that process had not been followed. We had requested the Islamic Ministry to define orphans before the process was selected. Islamic Ministry advised that orphans over the age of 18 who are employed would only receive a certain amount of points,” the state minister was quoted as saying.
She revealed that some students who were not chosen for the scholarships had filed complaints with the ACC, after which two officials from the commission examined the selection process and all relevant documentation.
She added that the ACC investigators had not questioned any officials from the ministry.
The state minister also denied claims by the ACC that the last stage of the selection process was carried out only by the Education Ministry despite the regulations stating equal involvement of both the Education and Islamic Ministries.
Aminath Ali went on to characterise the ACC’s order for a review as “bizarre” and questioned the purpose of the order, accusing the commission of violating the rights of students who deserved the assistance.
(0)Dislikes
(0)