Court Upholds Ruling Ordering Former PhD Scholar to Repay University 164,000 Dinars

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Appeals Court has upheld the ruling of the High Civil Court, requiring a former research assistant at the University of Bahrain to reimburse the institution with a sum of 164,000 Bahraini dinars.

The amount corresponds to the expenses incurred by the university for the assistant's scholarship programme, which aimed to send him abroad to obtain a doctoral degree in a specialised field.

The court's decision comes after nearly a decade of the assistant's unsuccessful pursuit of the academic qualification, coupled with his failure to fulfill the terms of the scholarship agreement.

The university filed a lawsuit against the individual, highlighting his employment as a research and teaching assistant within its ranks. In 2011, the university sponsored the assistant's overseas education and entered into a binding scholarship contract with him, with the understanding that upon completion of his doctoral studies, he would be appointed as an associate professor at the university.

However, he failed to obtain the required degree during the designated period of the scholarship and returned from abroad without acquiring the necessary academic certification.

The university granted the assistant an additional period of time to secure the PhD degree after his return. Regrettably, he once again fell short of fulfilling his commitment, failing to obtain the required academic qualification.

The court emphasised that his negligence in meeting the terms of the contract and his inability to obtain the necessary academic degree constituted a breach of the scholarship agreement and violated the provisions outlined in the scholarship regulations, which stipulate that in the event of failure to obtain the academic qualification, the scholarship recipient must reimburse the university for all expenses incurred.