A 40-year-old woman has been denied access to a literacy education program in Al-Ahsa because officials say she is too old. The woman said she was “shocked” at being denied a basic human right to education, which the government supports with “unlimited funds”. “The program needs to encourage all illiterate people of all ages,” she said. The woman, who is even willing to pay for her education, said she wants to know how to read the Qur'an and learn more about Islam. She said she did not go to school when she was young. The woman filed a complaint with the Education Department but was told that regulations do not allow her to join the literacy program because of her age. An education official at the department said there was nothing they could do about the matter until the current regulations are changed by the Ministry of Education. The source said that the policy of the Kingdom, however, provides everyone with equal access to education.
