President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze $ 45 million in US federal funding for more than 400 Burmese students left the man in shock and his scholarship was suddenly canceled.
The move has expressed concern about the widespread impact on the Burmese in Myanmar, already struggling with an education system under political upheaval and military rule.
Student in limbo
A Burmese student studying at Chiang Mai University in Thailand told the VOA that she was completely lost after knowing that her scholarship was getting suspended.
“To be honest, I am lost due to this sudden loss of my scholarship. I had a study of bees with the goal of earning a degree, and now I don’t know what to do,” he said. The student spoke with the VOA on the condition of anonymity as he is afraid of his safety when he returns to Burma, who remains under military control.
He said that students like him and others at various educational levels are now left without financial assistance.
He said, “There are four years of master’s degree, four years of graduate programs, and even PhD students are students. I don’t know that I should continue my studies, go home, or mine What should be the next step, “he said. , “I am sad that President Trump has cut the United States and his studies only.”
An email sent to the recipients of the program shared with VOA’s Burmese service said that diversity and inclusive scholarship program, or race, is currently suspended, and officials will “review whether scholarships should be continued for the student There are awards. “
The dispat war was designed to support Burmese students from marginalized and disadvantaged backgrounds, giving them the opportunity to study in Universitia in Asia including the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand. The program provided funds for online education through Arizona University.
For many people, the initiative was his opportunity to pursue higher education outside Burma, where the judicious-controlled education banned the reach in protest against military rule.
For some students, the immediate effect has been less severe.
HLwan Paing Thi HA, who has gone to the University of Chiang for a year to study, told VOA: “My education has already been paid through a scholarship program, so it has not impressed me yet Has done. ”
Future leaders impressed
A source which is an in-dispenser understanding of the program, said that the effect is just beyond education and access to opportunities. The source spoke with the VOA on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the media.
In the program, more than a quarter of the Burmese students fled from Myanmar due to military coup, the ongoing fight and forced consent, which targeted the youth.
“The effect is very large,” the source said, currently, more than 400 Burmese students are participating in universities in four countries-through the Filippines, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand USA-funded programs.
The source said, “110 of these were directly admitted to Myanmar, while the rest of the students fled to the border areas and Southeast Asian countries due to military coup or boycotted the Janta-controlled education system of Myanmar.”
The program, which was Lick in February 2024, was designed as a five -year initiative with a plan to recruit three batch of students in that period.
“The goal was to ensure that at least 1,000 Burmese students, ‘present and future leaders of the country,’ can continue their studies in universities in the entire region. The second batch, which will include hundreds of students, now in the finals. The phase of the process, “the source explained.
The debate continues
A debate continues on freeze and review in Washington.
On Tuesday, the Foreign Department released a discount that exempts humanitarian aid from freeze. Hence the US MPs have a voice, warning that the freeze will affect the American soft power and will give benefits to China.
On Wednesday, President Trump, while defending the fining freeze, called a $ 45 million allocated for the variety scholarship, especially for Burmese students.
Trump said, “Block $ 45 million for diversity scholarship in Burma. Four-five-forty-five-forty-five-this is a lot of money for diversity scholarship in Burma. You can imagine where the money went,” said Trump. “The thesis type and many others were there. I could stand here all day and tell you about the things we had met, and we have to find them quickly because we want money to flow in percentage places Go. “
Name danger passed away?
In addition to the freeze, the name of the program may leave it in a difficult position, with some anxiety that the mention of the variety in its breast may affect an important review of its effect.
With direct knowledge of the initiative for Burmese students, the source told the VOA that the program was rapidly terminated when the Trump administration started reducing foreign aid, and that the possibility of “diversity and inclusion” He played a major role in its eradication.
The source said, “This program was one of the first, as soon as the administration started the budget cut in the area,” the source said.
While bees are temporarily frozen in all USAID-funded programs, the dysplas has been specially blocked without any review, the source said.
“USAID officials have not bee to explain why this program was suddenly kept.”
VOA reached the state department to verify the program, was permanently blocked or still under review and whether its name played a role in its fast fort. However, as the time of publication, the VOA did not receive a response from the State Department.
The source expressed concern that the administration could not understand that the program had no connection with Myanmar’s military jute and was made a soul to support the youth who lost their education due to military harassment.
Life for ethnic and religious minorities
Variety and inclusion scholarship programs were established to reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of Burma, providing equal opportunities to all background students who historically discriminate Has faced. Burman is the name of the main ethnic group in Myanmar.
Many recipients of the scholarship program are from ethnic minority groups, which discovered as Karen, Kachin, Shaan, Chin and Rohingya, who have historically faced systemic discrimination in Burma’s education system.
