HALF: Over 800 elderly men and women, including a 105-year-old woman, participated in the literacy campaign organized this summer by the Saudi Ministry of Education, represented by the General Administration of Education, in Jazan.
Some 233 male and 599 female students have enrolled in 28 educational centers in the region, in the governorates of Samtah, Ahad al-Masarihah, Al-Harth and Al-Aridhah.
Numerous educational, cultural, social and health activities and events have been carried out in collaboration with government agencies and the non-profit sector.
These activities aim to develop the life skills of the beneficiaries and ensure that they achieve their educational and cultural goals to ensure they receive quality, equitable and comprehensive education.
One of these students was Shaqraa Tohari, 105, who enrolled at the Al-Dabra educational center in Ahad Al-Masarihah, demonstrating her strong desire to learn to read and write.
She said she felt elated when she stood next to the blackboard to write the alphabet, or sat on her seat to write and read numbers, or read Surah Al-Fatiha or short surahs from the Holy Quran, all while enjoying the support of her teachers.
“I was passionate about learning to read and write, even though I am over 100 years old. It is a dream that I have been waiting to realize for many years and decades,” she said.
“Despite all the challenges and the fact that I am getting older, this dream has come true. It is a golden opportunity that I could never miss,” Tohari said.
The centurion revealed that he spent his life raising his five sons and four daughters. He educated them and dedicated his life to them.
However, deep down in his soul, he always wished he could teach them and help them with their homework.
“The Kingdom's interest in providing education to all and eradicating illiteracy has helped me realize my dream. It has motivated me and the women in my village to move forward in terms of learning and make up for what we have missed.
“Education and learning are everyone’s dream, aimed at eradicating ignorance and illiteracy.
“(We) enriched their knowledge with simple scientific knowledge provided by their teacher at the senior education center,” he added.
Tohari’s son, Ibrahim, said his mother was extremely happy to enroll in the adult education program, as it represents the dream she has been waiting to realize for many decades, believing in her right to learn, write and read, like other women.
Ibrahim’s 35-year-old sister, Nourah, accompanies her mother to the education center every afternoon, while her other children help her with her homework.
Ibrahim said that once he successfully completed the first year, the women in the village were extremely proud of his mother.
Ibrahim said that what sets his mother apart is her enthusiasm and determination to complete her studies and learn new subjects.
