18-year-old, Salgy Baran wants to stay in Afghanistan and pursue a career as a doctor, but her aspirations, like those of so many other Afghans, were threatened when the Taliban swept into Kabul.
By Vaishali Pandey/The Newster
Salgy Baran received the highest marks in Afghanistan on her university entrance examinations this year, but she has no idea what will happen next as the uncertainty lingers in the fall out of Taliban takeover.
The 18-year-old wants to remain in Afghanistan and wanted to become a doctor but her aspirations, like those of so many other Afghans, were threatened when the Taliban swept into Kabul earlier this month, throughgoing a dramatic return to Afghan throne.
Baran said in a video interview with The Associated Press from Kabul, “I am not afraid right now, but I am concerned about my future. Are they going to let me obtain education or not?”
Baran and her family have no intentions to join the Afghan migration in the near future, but they are concerned about what will happen next. She said, “I had goals under the past government, I had planned everything out for several years. But under this government, I can’t say anything. Even tomorrow is uncertain.”
Why Baran Wants To Become A Doctor
Despite two decades of international development aid, she grew up in a middle-class household in rural eastern Afghanistan, where medical care is still insufficient.
Her diabetic father died when she was 7. She told that her father died because the doctor gave him an overdose of insulin. That inspired her to be the type of doctor that his father couldn’t get.
Read More: After Kabul, Distressing Footage Shows Thousands Of Afghans Waiting At Spin Boldak Border
In 2015, the family relocated to Kabul, where women face fewer societal constraints. Her family pooled their funds for her studies. She was described as a shy child who spent a lot of time reading and studying maths by her family menbers.
Before the takeover, this year’s Afghanistan’s version of the SAT was held. According to the National Examination Authority, she received the highest score out of around 1,74,000 competitors in the country. That got her admission into the Kabul University of Medical Sciences, the country’s premier medical school.
Uncertainty Among Taliban Leaders Over Co-Education
Women would be permitted to complete their studies in “proper facilities,” according to Abdul Baqi Haqqani, a Taliban official in charge of higher education.
But uncertainty is still looming in the minds of female Afghan students and workers because speaking to a gathering of Muslim clerics earlier this week, another Taliban leader, Mohammad Khalid, expressed disgust at the notion of boys and girls studying in the same classroom.
Taliban Accused Foreign Countries of Luring Away Talented Afghans From Afghanistan
The Taliban claim that the huge migration of foreigners and Afghans terrified of their rule must cease by August 31, the deadline designated by the US for the withdrawal of its last soldiers.
Taliban has accused Western countries of luring away doctors, engineers, and other professionals whose talents would be required to reconstruct the country, which has been devastated by conflict.
If that’s the case, they’d better hope Baran and the like of her stays in Afghanistan.
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