This appeal comes a day after the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology denied allegations of nepotism in the recent selection of students for scholarships.
Professor Job Akuei, Director General of Admissions and Chairperson of the Scholarship Committee, dismissed the claims as unfounded, reiterating that the selection process adhered strictly to merit and transparency.
“These accusations are common in a society that suffers from a lack of accurate information and tends to rely on rumours. Nonetheless, we affirm that the selection process was guided by a clear ministerial directive that emphasised the exclusive use of merit-based criteria,” he said.
However, in their petition, addressed to Anil Nautiyal, the Indian ambassador to Juba, the group said the final selection for the academic year 2024/2025 process of candidates lacked transparency and fairness, as claimed by the Director.
“We, the undersigned concerned citizens, write to respectfully bring to your attention serious concerns regarding the recent selection process of candidates for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) academic year 2024/2025 facilitated by the Indian Embassy in South Sudan,” partly reads the statement.
“It has come to our attention that the process through which the final list of scholarship beneficiaries was determined lacked transparency and fairness,” it added.
The group observed that multiple credible allegations suggest that partiality and regional bias influenced the decision, compromising the scholarship’s essential values of merit and equal opportunity.
“We, the concerned citizens, noted with sadness that the criteria for selection were not publicly communicated or consistently applied to all applicants,” they said.
The petitioners also expressed worry, alleging that the shortlisted final candidates appear to originate from a single region or community, citing ethnic favouritism and gender bias.
“We are concerned that many highly qualified and deserving applicants were not selected despite meeting or exceeding the stated academic and program criteria,” they claimed.
“We acknowledge that this is a very prestigious and generous program offered by the Government of India to support South Sudanese acquire the best education to develop their country.”
However, the group claims that such anomalies deny worthy students opportunities, degrade the reputation of the institutions concerned, and undermine India-South Sudan bilateral education and development collaboration.
“Considering the above, we respectfully recommend the immediate suspension of the current list of selected students circulating on different social media platforms and have a transparent, inclusive, and merit-based re-evaluation of all eligible applicants,”
Besides, concerned citizens stated that this scholarship should address gender representation through affirmative action so that female students can benefit from such crucial chances.
“We believe that these steps will help restore public trust in the fairness and integrity of the scholarship process and reaffirm the Indian Embassy’s commitment to promoting equal educational opportunity in South Sudan,” they concluded.
Previous selection
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology noted that in past years, students applied for the Indian Government Scholarship directly through online portals, with no intervention from the Ministry.
However, this year’s process was handled by the Ministry of Higher Education in response to a request from the Indian Cultural Attaché, who asked the South Sudanese government to nominate competent applicants. This decision was flagged as the beginning of a flawed selection process by the petitioners.
In response, a special committee was formed to handle the selection process for scholarships offered by friendly nations, including India.
The opportunity was advertised publicly, and applications were submitted online. From the hundreds of applicants, only a limited number could be nominated.
“Indian universities issued 457 admission letters to South Sudanese applicants this year,” Prof. Akuei said. “But only 30 scholarships were allocated to South Sudan, forcing the committee to make difficult decisions.”
The final allocation included 25 undergraduate and 5 postgraduate scholarships. Of the undergraduate slots, 20 were reserved for science disciplines, while 5 were allocated to arts and humanities.
