U-turn gives hope to Afghan Chevening scholars denied UK visas

The 35 students granted the prestigious scholarships were told the initiative was on hold

Kabul airport was in chaos on Monday as people tried to flee Afghanistan. AFP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to help Afghan students stuck in limbo between life under the Taliban and a prestigious scholarship in Britain.

The move to stop this year’s Chevening scholars from travelling to take up their placements sparked anger among high-profile members of the ruling Conservative party.

“We do want to make sure they are able to come, and so we are doing whatever we can to accelerate their visas to get them over as well,” Mr Johnson said.

Rory Stewart, a former international development secretary who has been critical of US and UK policy ahead of the Taliban takeover, welcomed the change of heart on the students.

The 35 Afghans awarded scholarships were originally told the Chevening programme for 2021-2022 would be paused.

They were told the UK embassy was “unable to administer the parts of the programme that must be done in Kabul in time for candidates to begin their courses this year”.

Britain’s embassy in the Afghan capital has been evacuated and diplomatic staff are fleeing Afghanistan.

“These are extraordinary times and this is when officials need to find creative solutions,” said Dr Nishank Motwani, the director of research and policy at ATR Consulting in Kabul.

“The Chevening programme advertises itself as developing leaders for the future. They need to live up to their own mantra because in years to come, when the West wakes up about Afghanistan and sees what has happened, who are they going to turn to?

“It is these people, the top minds in the country, [who] need to be saved. Afghanistan will need them. And these countries that have invested so much in Afghanistan over 20 years will need them.”

In Afghanistan, students’ moods moved from the joy of winning the scholarship to the dread of missing out.

“Just imagine: the excitement at starting our courses in a few weeks after a year of hard work and dedication is turned into shock and disappointment,” said Sharif Safi, who was due to study for a master’s degree at London Metropolitan University.

“We don’t deserve this. It is especially difficult for us now to accept this decision because almost all of us have already resigned from our jobs, dealt with a lot of stress and opted for Chevening over several other educational and career opportunities.”

Last week, students suggested their visas could be processed in third-party countries, but the option was not taken up, The Guardian newspaper reported.