Following her dream, elderly Egyptian woman takes literacy exam

Her old age has not prevented her from pursuing her dream. An old Egyptian woman in her eighties has persisted to follow her old aspiration and has passed a literacy test. 

Zubaydah Abd Al-Aal Al-Saidi, from Dakma village, Shebin El-Kom Center in Menoufia Governorate, has succeeded in passing the literacy exam at the age of 87. This comes within the framework of the initiative of the Egyptian Ministry of Social Solidarity “No illiteracy with solidarity,” which aims to eradicate illiteracy from the families of the “Takaful” program, according to Rosaelyoussef. 

In her interview with Sky News Arabia, the Egyptian lady said that she encouraged and supported her children to complete their education because she believed that education is the key to success and empowerment. Out of her passion to continue her education, she tried to imitate them in writing but failed. 

Zubaydah is the mother of eight children and grandmother of thirteen grandchildren. When she was young, she received no education. She is the daughter of a father who did not value female education. After her father’s death, she stood by her sisters and encouraged them to go to school. At the young age of 18, Zubaydah got married and was dedicated to educating her children, An Nahar reported. 

Recently, Zubaydah insisted on attending classes after working in the Solidarity Initiative to eradicate illiteracy and her heart was full of hope to obtain a literacy certificate, which she considers a new birth certificate, according to Youm 7. 

When one of the Ministry of Social Solidarity's facilitators suggested to get Zubaydah enrolled in the program last September, she accepted right away because she believed it was a dream that has been put off for a long time. The facilitator offered to come to her house and teach her in order to avoid endangering her health at her old age. However, the Egyptian woman preferred to learn in class because her dream was to sit on the students' bench and learn with them, Pledge Times reported. 

It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Social Solidarity's Knowledge and Research Unit described Zubaydah as “an inspiring model for everyone.” It mentioned that she showed that being old is not a barrier to the learning process or having ambition. The Knowledge and Research Unit is supporting her in any way she needs as long as she has the drive to study, according to Pledge Times.