To be eligible, staff members have to meet the following criteria:
- Be an international professional-category staff member
- Holding a fixed-term (FTA), continuing (CA) or permanent appointment (PA)
- Reside and serve at a duty station outside his or her home country (country of home leave).
- Has an appointment or assignment for minimum of six months. If initially for a period of less than six months and then extended so that total continuous service will be at least six months.
- Has a child in full-time attendance at a school, university or similar educational institution at primary level or above. Education shall be deemed 'primary' for the purposes of this instruction when the child is 5 years or older at the beginning of the school year, or when the child reaches age 5 within 3 months of the school year starting.
- Advances can only be given within the first 4 months of the start of the school year.
Locally recruited staff members sent on a mission assignment for at least six months in a different duty station may also receive the education grant, which will be payable only in respect of the period of mission assignment.
If eligible staff members are reassigned to a duty station within their home country in the course of a school year, they are still eligible for the full reimbursement for that particular school year.
A staff member ceases to be eligible for an education grant and related benefits when; a) the child ceases to be in full-time attendance at an educational institution; b) the child completes four years of post-secondary studies or is awarded a first recognized post-secondary degree, whichever comes first. The four years of post-secondary studies are counted cumulatively from the first year of studies following the high school diploma even if part of the post-secondary studies is completed prior to the staff member's service with the Organization.
The grant will not normally be payable beyond the school year in which the child reaches the age of 25 years. If the child's education is interrupted for at least one school year by national service, illness or other compelling reason, the period of eligibility shall be extended by the period of interruption.
When prorating is required it shall normally be affected in the proportion which the period of attendance or service bears to the normal school year. When changing schools the proration will be based on the attendance at each school.
No prorating shall be required in the event of the staff member's death while in service, after the beginning of the school year (this also includes flat rates for books and board).
A staff member serving in a country whose language is different from his mother tongue is entitled to receive partial reimburseme of expenses for his child's tuition in the mother tongue, subject to meeting established criteria, and up to a specified maximum amount.
A special education grant for children with learning disability shall be available to staff members, whether or not serving in their home country, provided that they have an appointment of six months or longer or have completed six months of continuous service. Staff members must get a medical certificate from a UN Doctor.
The child(ren) must meet the age requirements (as stated above) of 5 years or older at the beginning of the training, or the child reaches age 5 within the first 3 months of the beginning of the training.
Eligible staff members may claim special education grant if one of the following conditions are met:
- The child is unable, by reason of physical or mental disability, to attend a normal educational institution and therefore requires special teaching or training, on a full or part-time basis, to prepare him or her for full integration into society.
- The child, while attending a normal educational institution, requires special teaching or training to assist him or her in overcoming the disability.
Once age and eligibility has been establish, the special education grant is paid immediately from the date on which the special teaching or training is required and shall terminate when the child is awarded the first recognized post-secondary degree or up to the end of the academic year in which the child reaches the age of 28, whichever is earlier.
Video - How to apply for EG
General reminders:
- Please remember to upload supporting documentation.
- It is essential that the information entered in Quantum is exactly the same as the information in the certified documents you have uploaded.
- As much as possible please provide clarification on any generic type mandatory expenses f. ex. “general fee”..
Step 1: Select the appropriate type of Education Grant
An education grant consists of two different elements:
1) a request for education grant
advance for the coming school-year, and
2) claim for completed school-year (where you and the school verify attendance, fees and actual payments).
Any difference between the advance you received in the beginning of the school-year and the claim at the end of the school-year will either be added to or deducted from your salary.
No advances will be authorized for subsequent school years if you did not submit a claim for the completed school-year. If the claim for the completed school-year is not received then the advance will automatically be recovered four months after the end of the academic year for Headquarters staff and four months after the end of the academic year for field staff.
So before you request an education grant you have to
select the appropriate type of education grant request:
1) Claim for completed school-year
You select this option if you only want to settle the claim for the completed school-year and you do not want to request a new advance for the next school-year.
2) Advance for next school-year
You select this option if this is the first time you request an education grant.
Step 2: Fill in the Education Grant online form (Quantum)
- Log into Quantum
- Navigate to "Me/Education Grant Application/Create New Application".
- If you choose to create a new education grant request, then select the name of the child for which this request is intended and select one of the 2 options:
1) Claim for completed school-year
2) Advance for next school-year
- Your personal data will automatically be inserted (e.g. contract start and expiry dates, duty station and country, contract type, home country, date of birth, child name and child date of birth).
- Fill in the required fields and save.
If you are submitting an Advance:
1. Complete the form
2. For first-time applications or applications involving a new school, copies of statement of acceptance and list of fees should be attached.
3. Submit the completed online application
If you are submitting either a Claim or Advance:
1. Complete and Save the form
2. Print your application
3. Send it to the school /educational institution for verification
4. Once the school/educational institution has verified, sealed and signed your application, please scan and upload as attachment to this saved online application.
5. Submit the completed online application to your
HR Focal Point
Step 3: Submit a signed version of the Education Grant form
-
IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING ONLY AN ADVANCE.
For Education Grant Advance applications involving a new school, copies of statement of acceptance and fees should also be submitted.
- The amount of the advance which will be 100% of the anticipated amount of the education grant will be paid together with the salary. After the advance is requested or paid, the staff member should report any adjustment if the school fees become higher or lower so that the amount of the advance may be adjusted accordingly.
-
IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING EITHER A CLAIM
Save and print your application, sign it to confirm the information you have provided is correct and send it to the school /educational institution for verification. Once the school/educational institution has verified, sealed and signed your application, please upload the
signed original application in your eServices online application and submit it. For Education Grant Advance applications involving a new school, copies of statement of acceptance and fees should also be submitted.
- It is not necessary to submit receipts of payments as long as all the school costs, payment amounts and dates of payment are indicated on the Education grant form. However, these receipts of payments must be kept by the staff member for at least five years from the end of the school year for audit and verification purposes.
- Education grant claims should be submitted promptly upon completion of the school year, or shortly before the staff member's separation, or within one month of cessation of child's school attendance. Late claims are subject to staff rules 103.15 (ii) and 212.5 and will be paid only if submitted within one year after the end of the child's period of school attendance.
Step 4: When will you be paid
The entitlement is disbursed through payroll together with the monthly salary payment, and according to the salary distribution set up.
Assuming that all required information, signature/stamp and documentation have been duly provided, the processing of Education Grant may take up to 1 to 2 months before it is disbursed.
Given that most requests are submitted in June, July and August, we recommend that the Education Grant be claimed as soon as the school year ends to allow the additional processing time needed during this peak season.
