Minister of Science: The Case of Illegal Scholarships Has Been Resolved

Mohammad Farhadi, the Minister of Science, Research and Technology, stated on Saturday, August 7, that aside from '36 cases,' others can continue their studies regarding the case of illegal scholarships. According to ISNA, the Minister said: 'The case of illegal scholarships has been tidied up, and except for the 36 cases previously announced, others can continue their education. Furthermore, no names have been published by the Ministry of Science.' The Deputy Minister of Science and head of the Student Affairs Organization first reported on June 24 of last year about some violations related to scholarships for over 3,000 doctoral students. As the issue of illegal scholarships gained traction in Iranian media, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, reacted, stating that 'many have been wronged' in the matter of scholarships, adding that 'this action was both unlawful and against wisdom, as well as against ethics. Yet they constantly talk about ethics.' A day after Khamenei's remarks, the Minister of Science announced the formation of a committee to re-examine the cases of illegal scholarships. However, on Saturday, in response to a question about the results of the investigation into illegal scholarships, the Minister stated: 'This story does not end with 3,000 illegal scholarships; there are also 6,000 problem-free scholarships, of which 5,000 are related to the previous government.' According to Mohammad Farhadi, the case of illegal scholarships included three categories of individuals. He added: 'The first group consisted of individuals who were admitted without an exam, while individuals must be granted scholarships through an exam according to regulations. The second group includes individuals who began their studies without obtaining a scholarship decree. These individuals need to be clarified. In fact, their scientific qualifications have been confirmed, but their public qualifications have not been validated.' Regarding the third group of these scholarships, the Minister said: 'The last group consists of individuals who, according to the conditions and regulations announced by the Ministry each year regarding GPA, age, etc., did not meet the age requirements or had GPAs below the specified levels for their bachelor's or master's degrees or both. The decision made regarding these individuals was that they should continue their studies at their own expense.' Last year, the Ministry of Science announced that the total number of 'non-exam' accepted individuals between 2009 and 2013 was 3,772, of which 1,867 were under the title of converting scholarships to domestic, 1,011 under university instructors, 165 according to the veterans' directive of the Ministry of Science, and 729 were awarded scholarships for studying abroad. Ultimately, the Ministry of Science announced on November 2 last year the results of the investigation into the 3,772 individuals who were awarded scholarships without taking an exam between 2009 and 2013, revealing the 'cancellation' of 863 cases of 'illegal' scholarships.