Afghan Women's Pursuit of Education Threatened Amid USAID Funding Cuts

The continuation of education for over 80 Afghan women who fled the Taliban to study in Oman is in jeopardy, as recent USAID funding cuts leave them facing imminent deportation back to Afghanistan. These students, who were pursuing STEM degrees under a supportive scholarship program, now urgently plead for international aid and safety measures.

Afghanistan's educational hopes are dimming as more than 80 Afghan women students in Oman brace themselves for imminent deportation back home after their scholarships were abruptly ended by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This drastic shift follows a funding freeze imposed by the Trump administration, jeopardizing their dreams of higher education and safety amid the Taliban’s oppressive regime.

The affected students, all of whom fled Afghanistan to seek educational opportunities, have expressed horror over the news. "It was heart-breaking," one student said in an anonymous interview, fearing repercussions for speaking out. “We’ve been told we will be sent back within two weeks.” With the Taliban having reinstated draconian policies against women, including a ban on university education, their return poses serious risks.

For nearly four years, the Taliban’s regime has systematically excluded women from various areas of public life, but the scholarship initiatives funded by USAID had opened doors for many to study abroad or continue their education remotely. Now, these opportunities are slipping away as the Trump administration manages a freeze on foreign aid in a broader effort to slash government expenditure.

The students in Oman reportedly have already begun preparation for their forced repatriation to Afghanistan. In an attempt to avert this, they are reaching out to the international community for "urgent intervention" and protection. “We need immediate protection, financial assistance, and resettlement opportunities,” pleaded another student.

Emails seen by the BBC detail the discontinuation of their scholarships linked to the funding anomaly, while acknowledging the distress this news brings. Exacerbated by an unstable political climate and deteriorating humanitarian conditions, these students’ futures now hang in the balance as they face an impending return to a country where their rights and safety are severely compromised.

The Women’s Scholarship Endowment program started by USAID in 2018 aimed to enable Afghan women to engage in STEM studies, fields prohibited for women under Taliban rule. These women, predominantly in their 20s, had secured their scholarships in 2021, just before the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan that led to widespread educational bans.

With their hopes tied to the belief that they could study safely in Oman until 2028, many have described their situation as extremely distressing. As one student noted, "If we are sent back, we will face severe consequences. It would mean losing all our dreams." Their urgent pleas for assistance reflect the dire reality facing countless Afghan women under Taliban rule, who live in fear of being forced into marriage and denied any possibility of a future through education.

As political figures in the US direct blame for the situation, the reality for these young women remains a grim reminder of the gender-based oppression in Afghanistan, with many insisting the international community must step in before it's too late. The situation hangs delicately amid shifting political tides, but time runs short for these Afghan women's ambitions for freedom through education.