Photo: MoHE

Taliban Revokes Russian Scholarships for Afghan Students, Citing Ideological Concerns

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has reportedly revoked around 500 scholarships awarded by the Russian government to Afghan students, citing concerns that students may adopt “infidel” and “communist” ideologies while studying in Russia.

Several Afghan students selected for the scholarships told KabulNow that the Russian Embassy in Kabul recently informed them about the cancellation. The students, who had been waiting for months to travel to Russia and pursue their higher education, now face an uncertain future.

The Russian government has allocated 500 scholarships for Afghan students at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels for the 2025 academic year. After successfully completing tests and interviews, the selected students submitted their passports and other necessary documents to the Russian Embassy several months ago.

However, according to the students, their travel plans were repeatedly postponed due to “technical issues.” Recently, they were unexpectedly informed that the Taliban had canceled the scholarships and that no technical issues were involved.

The students expressed deep concerns over the situation, noting that they had been waiting for nearly a year for this opportunity, during which they had missed other educational prospects both within Afghanistan and abroad.

The Russian Embassy in Kabul and the Taliban authorities have not yet issued any official statements regarding the matter.

This is not the first instance of the Taliban preventing Afghan students from traveling abroad to seize scholarship opportunities and pursue higher education. In 2023, the regime stopped a group of female students from boarding a flight to the United Arab Emirates, where they had secured fully funded university scholarships.

Following their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban has imposed restrictions on women and girls, preventing them from attending school beyond the sixth grade and from pursuing higher education, including in the health sector.

In addition, the regime has removed several essential modern subjects, including mathematics, science, English, computer studies, and social studies, from the curricula of various institutions across the country, replacing them with religious subjects.