A Sudanese woman in her 70s gained national attention after she appeared among students taking the matriculation exam in the country.
At Al-Nahda School in the eastern Sudanese city of Gedaref, Zahra Hassan Idris sat among the students in her granddaughter’s shoes, working hard to compete with them and fulfill her decades-long dream of pursuing a higher education. , in an inspiring scene that confirms that determination and ambition are not subject to the scourge of “aging”.
Zahra said in an interview with Al Ain News that she hopes to get a good Abitur score of over 80% in order to qualify for admission to the Department of Psychology and Sociology at the University of Khartoum, where her main motive for resuming her education after so many years there was a desire to change society and the judicial system to many negative phenomena.
Zahra Idris is taking her post-secondary examination, which is a qualifying stage for admission to a university in Sudan, as part of a literary course – Faculty of Arts, and, according to one of her teachers, has demonstrated excellent skills in this area.
Haji Zahra’s education was terminated against her will, and then she was married off, as is customary in many Sudanese societies. degrees in various journals, according to her version. She added, “All these years, I constantly dreamed that I would continue my studies, and last year I managed to enter Al Nahda Girls’ High School, but due to satisfactory conditions, we did not pass the exam. , so let’s try this year, hoping from Almighty God for good luck and success.” And she continued: “I found a lot of support from my family and the school administration, on the other hand, there are those who tried to upset me and kill my determination that I had reached the end of my life and could die, but I did it. does not care about this category and will continue until my wish and dream is fulfilled.”
She notes that she had difficulties with English and mathematics, but she worked to eliminate them through special centers, as well as at her school.
For her part, Al Nahda High School Principal Ikhlas Abdel Rahman said she registered Haj Zahra and put her in a class with the girls, warning them to respect the age difference and abide by their own rules. duties towards her and help her. Ikhlas Abdel Rahman emphasized that “Zahra” has great ambitions and creativity in the field of art, but she has difficulty learning English and mathematics due to a long absence from her studies. She said: “Her idea is to support girls who have given up on education and have chosen to get married or stay at home and their desire has been stifled. This will serve as a signal to them to revive their resolve.” The Abitur exams were launched simultaneously across Sudan last Saturday and will last for two weeks.
