An Afghan woman studying medicine in Türkiye aims to treat people in Afghanistan and serve her country as a tribute to her father.

"After seizing power in Afghanistan last year, the Taliban attempted to project a more moderate image, but their recent act of banning Afghan women shows that the Taliban did not keep their promise, barring women from studying and working. A number of families' breadwinner is solely their daughter, who is responsible for the household as well. If she is prohibited from working, how will she manage a living for her family?" Selgey Ismailhil, a student at Istanbul's Cerrahpaşa Medical School, explained.

The Taliban administration in Afghanistan banned girls from receiving post-secondary education amid criticism over its poor record of women's rights. Despite promising a softer rule when they seized power last year, the Taliban have ratcheted up restrictions on all aspects of women's lives, ignoring international outrage.

The ban on higher education comes less than three months after thousands of women took university entrance exams across the country, with many aspiring to choose teaching and medicine as future careers.

While the Taliban's decision to suspend the education of girls in Afghanistan is being discussed all over the world, Ismailhil, who studies medicine in Türkiye, said that girls should be allowed to study and work, opposing the Taliban's ban.

As the 13th child of a family, Ismailhil told Anadolu Agency (AA) about her journey from Afghanistan to Türkiye, her will to study medicine and her higher education in Türkiye, which supports her dream to serve her country one day.

Stating that she is studying in Türkiye with the support of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Ismailhil said that she scored well on the university entrance exam in her country in 2021. She also said that she was only 6 years old when she lost her father, and it was her father's dream for her to become a doctor.

"My father always taught me to help needy people and become a good doctor, to treat patients especially affected in warzones and struggling for the betterment of this country."

Sharing details about her academic life, she also recalled her first day and the excitement of it, describing it as "unforgettable" because Türkiye was the country she had specifically chosen for her higher education.

In addition to the quality of education, she also emphasized that her choice to study in Türkiye was influenced by the cultural ties between the two countries, since both hosts a Muslim majority.

Expressing her sorrow, she said that the decision of the Taliban administration to suspend the education of female students had left her heartbroken, and this has also reinforced her determination to work hard and help to serve the country.

After the Taliban took over the country, universities were forced to implement new rules, including gender-segregated classrooms and entrances, while women were only permitted to be taught by women professors or old men.

Most teenage girls across the country have already been banned from secondary school education, severely limiting university enrollment.

Noting that she wanted girls to be allowed to continue their education and work in her country as the economic situation in Afghanistan is already bad, she emphasized that it is "very important" for women to receive medical education and stated that girls in Afghanistan should also study medicine.

Talking about her academic life in Türkiye, she expressed her satisfaction with how quickly she got used to living in Türkiye. She has four Afghan friends in her dormitory and many other Turkish friends.

The Ministry of Higher Education of the Taliban Transitional Government announced on Dec. 20 that the education of female students was suspended until further notice, with the instructions it sent to all public and private universities in Afghanistan.

In addition, on Dec. 24, the Taliban suspended nongovernmental organizations' (NGOs) employment of female personnel until further notice. It was noted that the licenses of NGOs that did not terminate the employment of female personnel would be revoked.

Thereupon, some international aid organizations in the country, such as Save The Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE, stopped their work.

Responding to the ban, the International Rescue Committee said: "The closure of universities to women and girls is a chilling step backward for Afghanistan. There are no two ways about it. Women must be allowed to work and to move freely, and girls must be allowed to continue to go to school."