THE RADIUS OF ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE/ School allowances or scholarships : What are the effects in the event of suspension or late payment

This sum of money, of a gradual and substantial value, will have contributed for a short time to help above all the most vulnerable social strata, in particular pupils coming from the interior of the country to high schools and colleges in large cities such as Libreville and Port Gentil.

It is a contribution that has given satisfactory school results and helped Gabon to constitute an intellectual elite for the country, barely independent and to face the multiple challenges of economic, political, social and cultural development.

Sixty-two years later, Gabon has managed to train several executives in all vital areas, even if much remains to be done, especially in times of economic recession, an economic period which sometimes forces the highest authorities to adopt drastic measures in terms of public expenditure.Also, from 1960 to today, the tendency to grant scholarships is decreasing.

Indeed, more and more, the conditions required by the government in order to obtain this financial endowment by pupils and students are becoming more and more restrictive. this is the case for the average, which now goes from 10 to 12/20 for continuing studies in universities and colleges located outside Gabon.

All those applicants whose average is below 12/20 are either referred to local universities and colleges or to vocational training centers dedicated to this purpose.

In the worst case, this endowment is suspended or canceled for insufficient academic results. .these measures, described as unpopular by the suitors, have serious and even dramatic side effects, especially for pupils and students from poor social classes or those whose parents live in the interior of the country.

Let us take the simplest case, that of the delay which may occur in the payment of allowances for study grants.

In the event of late payment of scholarships to students, two major facts may occur:

-The first, students whose parents come from the deprived, poor social class, cannot bear the difficult living conditions to face in the city. Many will stop studying for lack of means of transport, food etc.

It is generalized discontent.

Moreover, as in Africa this social class is the most majority, this crisis can lead to another more difficult to manage. These are the student strikes.

These can be repetitive in universities and colleges. and give rise to socio-political riots; as was the case in 1990.

The 1990 student strike and its socio-political consequences

That year, in fact, the large-scale university crisis had exacerbated the opposition movements which demanded the return to Gabon of multi-party democracy. this led to the organization by the late Omar BONGO ONDIMBA, President of the Republic, of the sovereign national conference.

The effects of the student strike for the wealthy social class

-The second scenario concerns students from the well-to-do social class.

Indeed, those of the students whose grant hardly impacts their daily life, will continue the courses without too much sorrow because supported by the parents mainly rich.

However this atmosphere can give rise to social crises where a minority of students continue their studies while the majority stays at home.

The effects and the case of the definitive abolition of scholarships on the instruction of international financial institutions

These measures, often proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to States which generally seek loans with a view to rebalancing their inflationary economic situation, constitute unpopular and harmful measures for the regimes, especially Africans.

The socio-political and economic consequences linked to IMF recommendations

They are strategic, destabilizing for the less democratic regimes and are particularly relevant to *economic intelligence*, a science that has become the strategic weapon of the great Western powers.

In fact, the fact of restricting the access of students, especially Africans, to Western schools and universities (without complex), prevents the continent from accessing knowledge and knowledge that are more and more refined, dynamics favorable to the prerequisites of development. and powermodern states.This is a major obstacle for development and growth. It must be avoided if not regulated.

The drastic measures of the IMF, a factor in the weakening of national unity and the destabilization of political regimes in Africa

In Africa, where the measures, aimed either at reducing the number of civil servants or eliminating scholarships, coming under the international financial institutions are applied to the letter, the political regimes are victims of instability, because of student strikes Wheremultiple and repetitive occupations.These do not promote national unity and social cohesion.

Worse, they lead to coups, especially when these are sponsored by « enemies of peace and socio-economic and political prosperity in the African continent »

Conclusion

African governments, particularly those of our country Gabon, must ensure that the scholarships allocated to the large number of learners are fairly and regularly paid in order to avoid repeated university crises. because these can cause serious economic and socio-political crises in a country; are often exacerbated by unpredictable, destabilizing and sometimes very dramatic secondary effects, to the detriment of national unity and the social cohesion essential for developmentdeveloping states.

Amal Jean Maurice MBOUMBA-IBINDA

Journalist

Economist

Geopolitologist and Geostrategist