MPs propose using Future Fund for student grants

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Lawmakers are weighing a proposal to divert 2 per cent each year from the Future Generations Reserve Fund to pay for student grants. The draft law is now before the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee in Parliament.

It would see the deduction made at the end of each financial year for four years in a row.

Academic tracks

The money would go towards the scholarship and grant schemes run by the Ministry of Education, with a focus on newer academic tracks tied to job market needs.

The proposal was submitted by five MPs: Jameel Mulla Hassan, Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, Hisham Al Awadhi, Mohammed Al Balooshi, and Mohammed Al Olaiwi.

They said the idea is to help high-performing students pursue further study in specialised fields where fees often run high.

Plan

The explanatory note says the plan aims to back national skills by expanding funding for scholarships and study grants.

These, it adds, would be directed towards areas seen as useful for the country’s future.

The document points to Article 7 of Bahrain’s Constitution, which says the state shall support science, literature and the arts, and encourage research.

It also draws on Article 11, which places the country’s natural resources under state control and calls for their careful use in line with economic and security needs.