Trump scraps US Department of Education; experts say STEM research could be hit

United States of America (USA) President Donald Trump issued an executive order to begin dismantling the Department of Education, a government department in charge of handling billions of dollars in financing and supervising education policy across the country.

The action, announced yesterday, Thursday, March 20, responds to a long-standing demand from conservative groups.

"We're going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it's right," Trump said at a White House event. “We have to get our children educated. We’re not doing well with the world of education in this country, and we haven’t for a long time," he added, Business Standard reports.

According to a White House fact sheet, Education Secretary Linda McMahon has been instructed to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure" of the department.

While the closure may not have an immediate impact on international students, experts believe the long-term consequences of federal funding cuts will hit education and research programmes that benefit foreign students, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects.

They add that the order would have to pass several legal and legislative hurdles, and may require multiple levels of approval, including a Congressional majority.

The effect is likely to be felt more at the higher education level — particularly where major scholarships or loan schemes are involved, they add. However, public schools could be affected if federal funding is cut, although the administration has indicated that K-12 education would be spared.

More than 331,000 Indian students were in the United States during the academic year 2023-24. According to the Open Doors survey, 42.9 per cent of Indian students in the United States majored in math or computer science, with 24.5 per cent pursuing engineering.

The United States remains a popular destination because of its top colleges and flexible curricula. Its F-1 visa and Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme allow STEM graduates to stay and work for up to three years after completing their degrees.