Former Tory MP Rory Stewart among critics of ‘devastating’ decision to freeze ‘hugely important’ Chevening programme
The UK government appears to have quietly frozen a key international scholarship that has allowed hundreds of Afghan students to study at some of Britain’s leading universities.
The Chevening scholarship is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and has run since 1983, seeking out “future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers” in more than 160 countries.
Its website boasts that its 60,000 alumni include current and former heads of state — among them the president of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, and Anote Tong, who served as president of the Pacific island of Kiribati between 2003 and 2016.
Applications for the scheme’s 2025 intake opened to other countries on 6 August, but the portal for Afghan students remained closed, reading only: “Applications for the 2025/2026 academic year are currently closed. Eligibility for this year’s programme is still under review. Please monitor this page for updates.”
Former Conservative international development secretary Rory Stewart told Hyphen the scholarship had been “hugely important for generations of Afghans, bringing unique opportunities and education to some of the most talented Afghan women and men”.
Stewart, also a writer and broadcaster on the subject of Afghan history, added: “It is particularly important now in Taliban Afghanistan and it would be a great tragedy if it were cut.”
A group of more than 50 Afghan alumni wrote to the FCDO on 12 August pressing for an explanation but received only a holding reply stating that the department was waiting for input from ministers. The FCDO declined to give a statement when approached by Hyphen.
Alumni say the scheme’s apparent closure has caused “significant anxiety” among the international Afghan community at a time when the Taliban has banned girls from Afghanistan’s own secondary schools and universities.
Although the scholarship has not been open to people inside Afghanistan since 2021, those who fled following the Taliban takeover and now live in eligible third countries have been able to apply as part of the Chevening in Afghanistan scheme.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative MP who chaired the Commons defence select committee during Britain’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, said he would “strongly urge” the FCDO to reopen the scheme. “We need to be looking long term to help the next generation of Afghans,” he said. “We can do that by helping those Afghan leaders, and we can help create those by educating them in the UK.”
The scholarship covers students’ course fees as well as flights and accommodation. Up to 25 Afghans are typically accepted on the scheme each year, with more than 360 Afghan students having travelled to the UK to pursue postgraduate degrees since the 1990s.
Among them is Roya Saberzada, who finished a master’s degree at Bristol University in 2021 and now works as a broadcaster for the London-based Afghanistan International TV station.
“At a time when Afghan girls are increasingly deprived of educational opportunities, it is crucial that Chevening continues to support them rather than limiting these essential scholarships,” she said.
“As someone who benefited immensely from this opportunity, I believe it has a critical role in providing education that is otherwise inaccessible, especially for women.”
The alumni group’s letter to the FCDO calls the suspension of the scheme “a devastating blow to those who aspire to make a difference in the world”.
“The current ambiguity is deeply troubling,” it states. “The Chevening scholarship has been a beacon of hope for many talented Afghans.”
Recent data published by Unesco estimates that 1.4 million Afghan girls have lost access to secondary education since 2021. The number of children in primary school has also fallen by more than a million.
Naimat Zafary is another Afghan alumnus of the scheme. He came to the UK in 2021 and is now studying for a PhD in international development at the University of Sussex. “I’ve gained knowledge, skills and a global network,” he said, “empowering me to be ready to serve my homeland when the day comes when that is finally possible.”
Former MP Ellwood added: “We handed Afghanistan over to the Taliban. We left by our own volition. There are consequences to us neglecting this part of the world.”
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