The students with minister James Hoth Mai, in December 2018. Courtesy photo.

Some students under government scholarships in Ethiopia have expressed anger after learning they would not receive part of the much-awaited funds allocated for students in coronavirus affected countries.

Last month, the government pledged $3 million to students on its scholarships in Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, India, China, Botswana, Cuba, Serbia and Zimbabwe to cater for their needs due to the COVID-19.

On Tuesday, Minister of Higher Education, Denay Jock Chagor said he had received only 1 million dollars.

It is believed that there are about 400 students under the government’s scholarship in Ethiopia.

28 of them at the Ethiopian Civil Service University told Eye Radio that, after receiving the information of the 1 million dollars, they contacted their Embassy in Addis Ababa.

However, they were told that the ministry of higher education in Juba does not consider them as recipients of the money. It is not clear why.

But the students argue that they were sent to Ethiopia by different ministries including the former labor, public service and human resource development, higher education and defense and veteran affairs, among others.

They say when they contacted the newly appointed minister of public service and human resource development-Joseph Bakasoro, he said he was not aware of the matter.

The students now say they are in a dilemma and do not know the way forward.

Speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn show, they called on the government of South Sudan to intervene and rescue the situation.

“We are facing lots of difficulties. We were thrown out from our main previous campus without accommodation and also we lost all the privileges we had,” one student said on Thursday.

“All the students under the government scholarship, we are part and partial of this money. There is no reason to exclude other students under the same government scholarship and therefore we deserve to be part of this amount which was approved.”

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology is yet to comment on the matter.