KHOTANG, May 18: The Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) has awarded foreign employment scholarship grant to three non-existent students of a non-existent school in Khotang.
The scholarship, which is awarded by FEPB to children of migrant Nepali workers who lost their lives or were left permanently disabled during work, has been granted to three students of Chandi Bright Future Boarding School. But there is no such school in the district. Since, the scholarship has been awarded to the school’s Kumar Basnet of grade 1, Har Bahadur Basnet of grade 4, and Sarita Basnet of grade 8, the amount remains unused.
Awards to Chinese Scholarship Recipients
FEPB sent a check awarding Rs 8,000 each to the three non-existent students on September 24, 2017. But the scholarship amount remains with District Education Office since no one has claimed it.
“Twenty-eight children of migrant Nepali workers who lost their lives or were left permanently disabled during work were nominated for the scholarship. Twenty-five of the 28 students were granted a scholarship of Rs 8,000 each,” said Ambika Dahal, a counselor at the Counselling Centre for Safe Migration.
“Since 3 of the 25 students do not exist, the scholarship amount remains unused,” Dahal added.
Dahal also said that even though FEPB has been informed about the problem, no action has been taken yet.
According to officials, 22 students from grade 1 to grade 10 at various public schools across the district have been receiving the scholarship.