Afghan women could lose one of their last paths to a higher education

The American University of Afghanistan is a higher-education institution created with US support. It opened its campus in 2006 and was designed in large part to educate Afghan women and develop future leaders. It matters because the Taliban has barred women from attending schools and universities, leaving very few routes to a degree.

Laila shows how the university works in practice. After the Taliban left her previous degree unfinished, she won an AUAF scholarship and restarted through its online program. Students attend remote lectures from home. Many use aliases and keep cameras off because being identified could put them at risk.

The campus has already been taken over by the Taliban. The online program remains a possible path to graduation, but US funding is ending. Laila and her classmates fear the university may close, removing one of the last remaining higher-education options for Afghan women.

The US government decided to stop financing the American University of Afghanistan. This was a major decision because the United States had been the university’s primary funder. Without that support, the institution may struggle to keep its online program operating and could shut down entirely.

The reason given in the available text is concern about financial management. The US government suspected that the university had mishandled money. The source does not provide a finding, specific examples, or a fuller explanation of the suspected misuse. It also ends mid-sentence during a later discussion of Washington’s concerns.

The immediate effect is uncertainty for about 1,000 students, three-quarters of them women. Laila and her classmates fear losing their chance to graduate. The funding decision therefore reaches beyond a budget dispute: it could remove one of the last functioning higher-education pathways available to Afghan women.

The American University of Afghanistan has around 1,000 enrolled students. About three-quarters are women. That proportion makes the institution especially significant in a country where the Taliban has barred women from attending schools and universities.

Laila is one of those students. She studies political science and international studies through the university’s online program. Her classmates include students who use aliases and keep their cameras turned off. These measures help protect their identities while they attend remote lectures from home.

The numbers show both the university’s reach and the scale of the risk. It serves far more than a single student, but its women students face the sharpest loss if funding ends. Because the United States is withdrawing as the primary funder, the university may close, threatening the education of hundreds of women who have few alternatives.

The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 sharply reduced women’s access to public life in Afghanistan. The article describes bans on many jobs and on education. These restrictions affected women’s ability to study, work, and participate openly in society.

Laila experienced the change directly. She was studying at a university in Kabul and had only two final exams left. After the Taliban took power, she could not complete that degree. In December 2022, the Taliban announced the education ban, leaving her original studies unfinished.

She later found a hidden route through AUAF’s online program. Her experience shows the practical effect of the restrictions: women may have to study at home, conceal their identities, and fear searches or detention. If the online program closes, the barriers created after 2021 will become even harder to overcome for students like her.

If AUAF’s online program shuts down, Afghan women like Laila could lose one of their last ways to pursue higher education. They may be unable to finish current degrees, transfer to a safe alternative, or continue studying openly. The loss would affect both their immediate education and their hopes for professional lives.

Laila already had to start over once. The Taliban’s restrictions left her first university degree unfinished, even though only two final exams remained. She then secured an AUAF scholarship and studied remotely. She attends lectures from home while classmates use aliases and switch off cameras for safety.

The funding decision puts that fragile arrangement at risk. Laila told DW that she doubts she has the strength to begin again. If the university closes, students could face interrupted degrees, lost scholarships, and greater isolation. The article does not identify a replacement institution or another secure path for them.

The article identifies one current way for Afghan women to continue higher education: AUAF’s online program. Students can attend remote lectures from home, which allows them to study despite the Taliban’s ban on women attending schools and universities. The source does not name another current university, scholarship, or education route.

Laila received an AUAF scholarship after her first degree was interrupted. She studies from home, while some classmates use aliases and keep their cameras off. The program therefore depends on secrecy and digital access rather than a public campus. That mechanism gives women a chance to continue, but it also exposes them if their identities or university communications are discovered.

The options are limited by both policy and personal danger. Taliban authorities have searched homes, and Laila fears they could inspect her phone or detain her. With US funding ending, even this hidden route may disappear.

Foreign aid accountability is the process of monitoring how donated money is managed and used. Governments that provide aid commonly expect institutions to keep accurate records, follow agreed rules, and explain spending. These checks matter because public funds are limited and donors must decide whether continued support is justified.

The article gives a direct example. The US government suspected the American University of Afghanistan of mishandling money. Because the United States was the university’s primary funder, its decision to stop financing the institution could affect staffing, classes, and the online program. The available text does not state that misuse was proven or explain the specific concern.

This shows why financial management can become an operating issue. If a donor loses confidence, it may withdraw support, even when an institution provides important services. Here, that decision could help push AUAF toward closure and remove a rare education route for Afghan women.