The government is yet to decide on whether to increase the stipend of Bhutanese students studying in Sri Lanka. The Assistance for Privately Enrolled Medical Students who are on a half scholarship had requested the Foreign Minister for a hike in stipend to meet the increasing living expenses. The recent economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka has led to inflation causing difficulty for the Bhutanese students to sustain. The Prime Minister during the Meet the Press today said it is not probable in the current scenario due to limited resources.
“We have not discussed whether or not to increase the stipend which is Nu 300,000 per year for the APEMS students get. It is not feasible to increase at this moment. This has to go through RGOB funds. When our resource level is down, we don’t see the room to increase the stipend. Regarding the ongoing crisis and inflation, we have received a command from His Majesty’s Secretariat to look after the student’s welfare and make sure Bhutanese living in Sri Lanka are not suffering. We have talked with the Foreign Minister and the Ambassador’s office has checked the situation there. They are hard up. Government scholarships get USD 350 per month which is hardly enough. But those who are on private scholarships are struggling a lot. After getting this information, we are told to provide help if possible. So, we are discussing it. We are just sharing the preliminary report,” said Prime Minister, Dr Lotay Tshering.
