Click to expand Image Burkina Faso soldiers patrol aboard a pickup truck on the road from Dori to the Goudebo refugee camp, on February 3, 2020. © 2020 OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP via Getty Images Burkina Faso’s military junta has approved a law requiring every Burkinabè student wishing to pursue higher education abroad—whether funded by a government scholarship or through private means—to obtain prior authorization from the Ministry of Higher Education.The Council of Ministers adopted the decree on June 25, but it has yet to go into effect. The government has presented the measure as part of a broader effort to strengthen oversight of higher education and promote “scientific sovereignty.”Officials say the decree is intended to protect students from fraudulent foreign universities, improve consular protection by maintaining a register of students abroad, align overseas training with national development priorities, and protect young people from indoctrination or unsafe environments.While the state has a legitimate interest in collecting data on students abroad and protecting them from educational scams, the breadth of these measures is concerning. Rather than establishing a system of registration or notification, the Burkina Faso authorities are introducing a system of prior governmental authorization before students may pursue higher education abroad. Such a requirement restricts internationally protected rights, including freedom of movement and education.Much will depend on the implementing framework, which has yet to be made public. There is no indication of the criteria by which authorization could be denied, whether decisions will provide reasons, or if applicants will have access to an independent appeals process or effective judicial review. Without such safeguards, broad administrative discretion threatens arbitrary and discriminatory decision-making.“There is a risk of selective application based on political opinion, ethnicity, gender,” a former Burkinabè judge told Human Rights Watch. “Those perceived as enemies of the junta will never get an authorization.”These concerns are reinforced by the higher education minister’s statement that some students abroad are pursuing studies not “in line with the current government vision.” What fields of study align with the junta’s vision? Human rights appear unlikely to qualify, given the junta’s abysmal human rights record and its recent decisions to force the United Nations human rights office in the country to close, withdraw from the International Criminal Court, and dissolve human rights groups.It’s difficult to envision a decree without clear legal limits, safeguards, and independent oversight being anything other than a tool for controlling who may access academic opportunities, ideas, and professional networks beyond Burkina Faso’s borders.