MPs consider plan to extend Kingdom’s social aid for university students over 18

TDT | Manama

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Parliament’s Services Committee is examining a proposal to amend Bahrain’s Social Security Law.

The plan would allow university students over 18 to continue receiving state support regardless of their family’s financial situation.

The draft seeks to remove a clause in Article 6 that currently blocks students from receiving assistance if they have a financially able relative who is legally required to support them.

Under the proposed wording, any student working towards their first university degree would remain eligible for aid while enrolled, regardless of household backing.

MP Jalal Kadhem, one of the key sponsors of the proposal, said the current restriction has led some families to pull their children out of higher education, even when they are academically able and willing to continue.

The amendment would give students the right to support until they complete their degree, so long as they remain in university.

He said the committee is reviewing the proposal now and expects to finish its report early in the next legislative term.

If passed, the change could help students stay the course and relieve financial strain on families with limited income.

Education

Kadhem cited examples from Germany and Sweden, where governments support students throughout their education.

Such approaches, he said, are built on the belief that learning offers the clearest path to stability.

Failing to support education, he warned, may lead to a rise in crime and harmful behaviour.

Encouraging a love of learning from a young age, he added, strengthens a sense of national belonging.

He said funding the measure would fall to the Cabinet, which is responsible for allocating public resources and deciding how to provide support to eligible students.

According to the explanatory note, the proposal aims to develop a generation ready to contribute across a wide range of fields, from trades to academia.