US ends funding for AUAF in Afghanistan — Deutsche Welle

The United States has ended funding for the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), which remains one of the few available paths for Afghan women to obtain higher education. The institution’s campus in Kabul is under Taliban control, but the university had continued teaching through an online program. Students fear that without funding, AUAF may cease operations, Deutsche Welle reports.

Online education for women

About 1,000 students study at the university, and approximately three-quarters of them are women. One student, whom DW calls Laila for safety reasons, studies political science and international studies. After the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, she studied at another university in Kabul but was unable to complete the semester because of the ban on women attending universities announced in December 2022.

Later, Laila received an AUAF scholarship and began her studies again. She said she hides her online education from most people outside her family. Her classmates use pseudonyms and do not turn on their cameras during remote lectures for security reasons. The student also said she fears phone checks by Taliban representatives and possible detention over correspondence with the university.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Reasons for ending support

The US State Department explained the decision by the university’s history of repeated lack of accountability for millions of US taxpayer dollars. In 2016, US inspectors began reviewing AUAF’s finances, and by 2018 said that due to weak accounting, they could not accurately determine how the institution spent US aid.

Patrick Fine, former director of the USAID mission in Afghanistan, disagreed with the State Department’s explanation. He acknowledged that previous audits had identified the university’s difficulties in complying with numerous USAID rules, but said they had not established significant fraud. According to a US report, as of 2018, the United States covered nearly 90% of AUAF’s expenses. The State Department said the university could seek other donors and partners, but the rejection of a $25 million grant has put its future in doubt.