He explained that the programme was initiated by Governor Agbu Kefas and opened to interested Tarabans through an online application process.
The Taraba State Government has defended the selection of beneficiaries for its postgraduate scholarship programme to India, insisting that the children of government officials are indigenes of the state and should not be automatically excluded from accessing government-funded educational opportunities.
The government’s position followed an earlier report by SaharaReporters that two children of senior state government officials were among the 100 beneficiaries selected for the programme, raising concerns among some beneficiaries and residents about the transparency and fairness of the selection process.
The two beneficiaries are Victor Mike Dio Jen, son of the Taraba State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Mike Dio Jen, and Zakariah Kwenjerimam Kurutsi, daughter of the Director of Students at the Taraba State Scholarship Board.
The state government also rejected concerns over the temporary accommodation of the 100 beneficiaries currently in Abuja for visa processing, saying the students are being accommodated pending their departure to India and that the arrangement was made in consideration of prudent management of public resources.
