“After the Taliban shut universities for women, my only hope was to get a scholarship which would help me study abroad,” says 20-year-old Afghan student Natkai.
Natkai’s name has been changed for her own safety.
The Taliban have cracked down hard on women who oppose them.
Natkai says she kept studying even though there was little chance of her ever attending university in her homeland.
Then she was granted a scholarship to study at the University of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Emirati billionaire businessman Sheikh Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor.
The scholarships for Afghan women were announced in December 2022 after the Taliban banned women from university.
The BBC understands a total of 100 Afghan women have been successful in gaining these scholarships. Some Afghan students living abroad have already travelled to Dubai.
On Wednesday 23 July, Natkai said goodbye to her family and set off for the airport.
But her hopes were soon dashed.
“When the Taliban officials saw our tickets and student visas, they said girls are not allowed to leave Afghanistan on student visas,” she tells me, her voice breaking.
Source: bbc.com
