JOHN Swinney has praised the “wonderful” work done to bring 19 Afghani women to finish their medical degrees in Scotland.
On Wednesday, news broke that the women had landed in Scotland to continue with their studies, after the Taliban’s rise to power in their home country meant they were forbidden from continuing their education there.
Reports said there had been tears from some of the students as they arrived at Edinburgh Airport on Monday, where they were met by John and Lorna Norgrove – the parents of Scottish aid worker Linda Norgrove, who died in Afghanistan in 2010.
The charity set up to remember her, the Linda Norgrove Foundation, has worked with both the Scottish and UK governments to bring the 19 young women to the UK so they can complete their courses.
The small charity, which has only one employee, covered all the costs of getting the students to the UK – a minimum of £60,000.
Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill and Scottish Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth were at the airport, along with the Norgroves, to welcome the women as they came off the plane.
Prior to arriving in Scotland, all the students had to undergo TB tests, English tests, and completed university interviews via Skype, before travelling to Pakistan, where they applied for visas to travel to the UK.
Responding to the news on Wednesday morning, First Minister John Swinney said: “This is such a wonderful piece of good news – a great achievement by Lorna and John Norgrove.”
Omulbanin Sultani, 21, was one of the students brought over to study in Scotland. She will attend St Andrews University.
Sultani said it was “like coming to paradise, the place where we can study. In Afghanistan studying is banned, we can not study”.
Speaking at a reception held to welcome the women at the UK Government’s offices in Edinburgh, she said: “We endured 1000 days of suffering to reach this point, 1000 days of being confined to our homes, 1000 days of having our voices silenced, 1000 days with nothing but tears and sorrow, 1000 days of our lives wasting away.”
Fellow student Zahra Hussaini, meanwhile, said coming to Scotland to resume her studies was “a dream”.
The 19-year-old added: “For the first minutes at the beginning I couldn’t believe that finally I had arrived because there were some challenges and difficulties.”
After having to leave her home country she said the “warm welcome” the students had received in Scotland “made everything easier for us”.
She said: “There are no words to express how I feel, believe me.”
Education Secretary Gilruth also welcomed the students, saying: “Gender should not be a barrier to accessing education, and I am pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to support these extraordinary women in their journey to complete their medical education.
“The changes we made to the legislation will ensure they can access the same benefits as their peers, including free tuition and student support.
“Scotland has a proud history of welcoming people from across the world who need support.
“I wish each and every one of these inspiring women the warmest of welcomes to Scotland and look forward to the positive contribution they will make to our country.”
