In a statement to which Lusa had access this Tuesday, INAGBE reports that the processing of subsidies for the 2024-2025 academic year only began on February 17 and is taking place "gradually".
The institution, which manages internal and external scholarships for Angolan students, argues that processing occurs gradually as a result of the "joint and permanent" work carried out between INAGBE, the commercial banks where students have their accounts and higher education institutions.
The subsidies being processed refer to five months (from October 2024 to February 2025) and are expected to be completed by the first half of March, followed by the processing of the second phase, referring to the months of March to July 2025, as stated in the note.
Last week, students receiving internal scholarships in higher education in Angola reported delays of five months in the payment of subsidies by the scholarship management entity, admitting that there is "misappropriation" of funds.
The president of the Association of Students and Former Scholarship Holders of Higher Education in Angola (AEEBISA), António Armando, spoke of evidence of misappropriation of funds from INAGBE, given the "unjustifiable excessive delay" in subsidies.
Speaking to Lusa, António Armando stated that all internal scholarship students in the country have been without their respective subsidies for almost five months – since last October, the start date of the academic year – and admit to holding demonstrations at INAGBE to "demand" the reinstatement of payments.
António Armando stated that there is "suspicion" that "there is evidence of misappropriation of funds [at INAGBE] because [these delays] are not justified".
INAGBE reported, on the other hand, that the scholarship student, enrolled and studying academic training at a higher education institution where the monthly fee is higher than the scholarship aid to which he is entitled, must assume, together with the higher education institution, the payment of the difference in the monthly fee.
Students selected by the Internal Scholarship Program for the 2024-2025 academic year (new scholarship holders) must wait for the conclusion of the contract signing process, which is expected to end next March, INAGBE highlighted.
The Maka Angola portal, managed by activist Rafael Marques, denounced last Monday the existence of a "hole" of more than 21 billion kwanzas in INAGBE, through transfers and payments without justification, made in 2022.
Furthermore, according to Maka Angola, there are 101 scholarship holders, duly identified, who receive subsidies from INAGBE, but are not included in the lists sent by the universities that host the beneficiaries.
The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, the body responsible for INAGBE, announced that the Court of Auditors is investigating the conformity of the accounts of the scholarship management institute for the 2022 financial year.
