A 79-year-old woman has achieved her lifelong goal of wearing an academic gown and graduating from a university.
Hajiya Fatima Kurfi joined 1,678 graduates of Al-Qalam University in Katsina, Katsina State, when they were called upon to receive their various degrees at a convocation last week.
Kurfi, who got admitted into the university in 2005, graduated with a Degree in Islamic Studies in 2009. Her convocation was however deferred until las week when the university held its maiden convocation for seven sets that have passed through the institute.
Speaking to DailyTrust, she said, “When I was young, there used to be a primary school in Kurfi town were all my peers went, but I was not among them. After I got married, my husband started to teach me how to read and write, and it was with this I was able to guide my children,” Mama Kurfi said. When her husband left for England and she joined him there, her spoken English improved greatly during the almost three years she spent there.
“During my stay there, I tried to do something about my education but could not. Upon my return to the country, I took up the challenge to get the formal education as all this time I was still doing my informal teaching and learning processes,” she added.
According to her, she had always believed that formal education is extremely important. “An uneducated person is not complete. Even if he tries other ventures like business, his lack of education will limit him greatly,” she said.
A mother of four with over 20 grandchildren, her family is immensely proud of her achievement.
