Hundreds of Students Missed Educational Trips to Russia

A number of students claim that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education has not allowed them to travel to Russia to continue their studies. They stated, quoting the Russian House of Science and Culture in Kabul, that the ministry opposed their educational trips.

These students explained that they had applied for Russian scholarships in 2023. By the second half of 2024, approximately 500 of them were deemed eligible for scholarships by the Russian House of Science and Culture in Kabul.

The students allege that, after several rounds of discussions and negotiations with officials from the Ministry of Higher Education, the Russian House of Science and Culture informed their representatives that the ministry opposed their educational trips to Russia.

The eligible students have expressed dissatisfaction, saying they had completed all administrative procedures and spent between $100 and $200 each on document translations and medical examinations to prepare for their studies in Russia.

It is worth noting that last year as well, approximately 500 eligible students were unable to travel to Russia for further studies.

The interim government and officials of the Ministry of Higher Education have yet to comment on the matter. However, reports were published earlier indicating that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education had suspended the process of distributing both government and private scholarships. Nevertheless, Abdul Hanan Azizi, the head of publications for the ministry, stated that they are working on a new procedure, and once finalized, the process of allocating scholarships for studies abroad will resume.