The government has completed necessary preparations to provide scholarships to the children of deceased migrant workers from the next academic session. 

Foreign Employment Promotion Board (FEPB) under the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE) has finalized "Foreign employment scholarship work plan 2015" to provide scholarships to around 1,000 children of deceased or disabled migrant workers enrolled in primary and secondary levels in the first phase. 

Under the plan, only children under the age of 16 will be eligible for the scholarship. Only those enrolled in a government funded school would qualify for the scholarship that would consist of Rs 6,000 per year for a primary level student and Rs 10,000 for a secondary level student. 

“One child from a family of deceased migrant worker will be given the scholarship,” informed Tika Bhandari, director at the FEPB. 

Migrant workers have been mandatorily contributing Rs 1000 to the FEPB fund after its formation in 2009 as they leave the country for foreign employment. 

Records at FEPB show that more than 3,000 Nepali migrant workers have died in the last five years. The number of Nepalese workers dying abroad in 2010 was just 592. 

FEPB has allocated Rs 20 million for the scholarship fund. The total sum of that money has reached around Rs 2.50 billion at the FEPB. 

The government set up the scholarship fund with an aim of benefiting the children of migrant workers who lost their lives or became disabled during the course of foreign employment. 

As per the work plan, for the availing the scholarship, the family of a victim should provide copies of work permit, citizenship, death certificate, relationship certificate, recommendation from local authorities and a proof of death within the contract period.

As per the records at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) more than 3.5 million Nepalese are working overseas, mainly in the Gulf countries, and they contribute almost one-fourth to the nation´s economy through remittance. Each month, around 1,500 to 1,700 Nepalese leave the country for foreign employment.

Published on: 28 January 2015 | Republica