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Unable to attend school in her youth, Hatun Altıntaş became a widow four years ago and later lived alone after her son moved to Istanbul. Facing challenges in reading signs, filling out forms and managing everyday tasks, she enrolled in an “Intensive Basic Literacy Course” organized by the Torul District Public Education Center, in Gümüşhane, northeastern Türkiye.
With the support of her relatives and the local community, Altıntaş successfully completed the course and now aims to finish her middle and high school education.
The third of seven siblings, Altıntaş said she always felt left behind while her brothers and sisters completed their education and became professionals. “Out of seven siblings, I was the only one who couldn’t read. I don’t know whether it was because I didn’t want to or because circumstances didn’t allow it,” she said.
After learning of the course from her neighbors, Altıntaş immediately registered and immersed herself in the lessons. Becoming literate has greatly eased her daily life. “Now I can read, but I don’t always trust myself. Living alone, I sometimes cannot tell if I’m reading correctly. Going to the city was difficult because I couldn’t read the places I needed to go,” she said.
Gamze Güngör, a classroom teacher at the Public Education Center, described Altıntaş as determined and resilient. “She wanted to handle her own affairs, go to the hospital, answer phone calls and manage her life independently. She is a woman trying to stand on her own because she has no one else to rely on,” Güngör said.
