Kenyan 90 year old great grandmother enroll in primary school

A woman who has served her rural Kenyan village as a midwife
for the past 65 years has returned to primary school along with
six of her great-great-grandchildren.
Priscilla Sitienei, 90, is believed to be the oldest primary
school pupil in the world. She enrolled at Leaders Vision
Preparatory School in the Rift Valley village of Ndalat five years
ago, with the intention of finally learning to read and write.
Affectionately known as "Gogo", which means grandmother in
the local Kalenjin language, Mrs Sitienei grew up under British
colonial masters and never had the chance to go to school.
She said she wants to be able to read the Bible, pass on her
midwifery skills and write down the herbal remedies she uses
in births.
She also hopes to inspire those younger than her – including
her own classmates, aged between 10 and 14, some of whom
she delivered as babies.
"Too many older children are not in school. They even have
children themselves," she told the BBC. "They tell me they are
too old. I tell them, 'Well I am at school and so should you'."
Mrs Sitienei follows in the footsteps of the late Kimani Maruge,
84, who became the subject of a British-produced film called
The First Grader, when he enrolled in a primary school in
Eldoret, Kenya, after the government announced the roll-out of
free and universal primary education in 2003.
Mr Maruge and teachers at the school were forced to fight the
government to keep his place. In 2005, he was invited to
address the United Nations Millennium Development Summit
about the importance of free primary education.
Mrs Sitienei also faced opposition when she first tried to enrol
at her school, but head teacher David Kinyanjui said she is
now a "blessing and a motivator".
"I'm very proud of her," he said. "She is loved by every pupil,
they all want to learn and play with her.
"She is doing well … considering her age I can say I have seen
a big difference in this school since she came."
Now a prefect, Mrs Sitienei takes part in Maths, English, PE,
dance, drama and singing. She wears the school's blue
uniform and green jumper and shares a dormitory with one of
her great-great grandchildren, where she delivers babies at
weekends.
She spends break-times telling stories to her classmates under
trees near the playing fields to ensure her knowledge of local
customs are passed on.
"I want to say to the children of the world, especially girls, that
education will be your wealth, don't look back and run to your
father," she told the BBC. "With education you can be whatever
you want, a doctor, lawyer or a pilot."