The Saudi cultural attaché in the United States has reduced the payments to citizens studying on scholarships who have sent their children and wives back home, according to recent reports.

Several students now say that they are suffering financially because they have no way of supporting their dependents in the Kingdom.

Khaled Al-Sultan, who is married with two girls, said he sent his children back home so that they could get their education in an Islamic environment. He has to spend two more years in America to complete his studies.

With the cuts in his stipend, he may have to bring his children back to the United States or cancel his scholarship. He said the cultural attaché has not helped to resolve the matter.

Anas Al-Badri, who has been married for 15 years and has a 5-year-old child, said he sent his daughter back home because he feared for her safety. He made the decision after his neighbor’s son fell and broke his hand.

He said he spends his entire stipend on his family but now that the attaché is stopping it his family would not have any means of support.

Saud Al-Otaibi said that he sent his wife home because they had a misunderstanding. He had done so until things could cool down between them. Now he is worried that he would not have money for her upkeep.

Abdulrahman Al-Atawi said the head of the family is obliged to spend on his family. Students of the King Abdullah Scholarship Program should not have government jobs, so their families need these stipends, he said.

He said the Ministry of Higher Education should assess each case individually before deciding on cutting the stipends. He said the scholarship program is producing students who would eventually help develop the nation.

Rami Al-Mutairi said scholarship students face many difficulties because they cannot have any outside employment. They depend on money from the government for the livelihood of their families. He said government employees studying overseas get their basic salaries and some financial support from the cultural attaché.

He said the stipend cuts would be like punishment. There has to be changes made to the scholarship program to assist students in his position, he said.