The British Council is still urging those involved with its work previously and still in Afghanistan to contact UK authorities.

The UK has promised to allow Afghan students on government-funded scholarships access to visas in order to complete their study programs in the UK, while DAAD in Germany said its priority is help partners and their families leave the country quickly and safely.

Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai has signed two agreements with the British Council to ensure training for 16,500 of the country's estimated 45,000 English teachers and to support the Ministry of Higher Education's goal to move Kabul’s public universities towards an English curriculum.

Afghanistan's oldest university has welcomed its first international students in decades despite the continuing war in the country. Forty Turkish students arrived at Kabul University to start four year degrees in subjects such as Islamic studies, science, Dari literature and English. Officials say a number of other countries have proposed sending students too.