The British government has abruptly terminated a flagship $57 million education initiative aimed at keeping 1 million girls in school across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, just two years after its launch, according to a statement from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Saturday. The decision, effective immediately, marks a major blow to global female empowerment efforts and has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers and development experts who accuse London of abandoning its commitments to women’s rights.
The program, known as Strengthening Higher Education for Female Empowerment (SHEFE), was unveiled with bipartisan fanfare in 2024 by the then-Conservative government. It was designed to provide scholarships, teacher training, and infrastructure support for girls’ secondary and higher education in conflict-affected regions, including Afghanistan, Sudan, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. However, the FCDO confirmed the tender was withdrawn as part of sweeping foreign aid cuts ordered by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration to redirect funds toward domestic priorities, including border security and healthcare.
“This is a catastrophic decision that directly undermines the UK’s stated priority of putting women and girls at the heart of foreign policy,” said Bambos Charalambous, the Labour MP who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on global education. “Every girl denied access to school loses a chance to escape child marriage, poverty, and violence. The government must urgently rethink this course.”
The termination coincides with a separate Home Office directive blocking new study visas for applicants from Afghanistan, Sudan, Myanmar, and Cameroon—four nations where female education is already severely restricted. Critics argue this dual action effectively closes doors for vulnerable women seeking safe learning environments. The move also threatens long-term revenue for British universities, which rely heavily on international student fees—often three times higher than domestic rates—to balance their budgets.
Joseph Nhan-O’Reilly, co-founder of the International Education Coalition, warned the cuts could have lasting geopolitical consequences. “We are signaling to authoritarian regimes that the UK is retreating from its moral leadership on gender equality,” he said. “Meanwhile, Taliban authorities in Afghanistan and military juntas in Myanmar will see this as validation for their repressive policies.” The FCDO has not announced any replacement program, leaving thousands of girls and young women—already studying in secret underground schools in Taliban-controlled areas—without a future pathway to higher education.