Priscilla Sitienei, The oldest primary school student in the world died at the age of 99. She died in her Kenyan home. Some news sources reported that the elderly woman’s health problems worsened while attending a class on Wednesday. The woman was getting ready for her final exams. These exams were about to start the next week. The locals also know Sitienei as “Gogo”. This translates to grandmother in the local Kalenjin language.
Priscilla Sitienei told the world in a prior interview that she did not have any chance to complete her education. She was now doing what she had not done as a child. She was getting an education and learning how to read and write.
Sitienei was born in Kenya and experienced the struggle for her nation’s independence from the British Empire. Her parents raised her from the start. She spent more than 60 years working as a midwife in the village of Ndalat before returning to school. She enrolled in Leaders Vision Preparatory School in 2010. There she met students whose births she had assisted during her professional career.
Stephen Sang is a Kenyan lawyer as well as a politician who is currently the second Governor of Nandi County. He claimed that the oldest student in the world was the late Gogo. During her memorial, he told that the late Gogo’s passion for education had inspired different generations.
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According to some other sources, Priscilla Sitieni was an inspiration to many around the world. She often used to say that without education, there will be no difference between you and a chicken. Moreover, she wanted to show an example not only to the world but to other girls around the world who are not in school.
The Kenyan source claimed that Gogo would promote education and interrogate kids who skipped class. She would also visit different towns as well as inquire about children who did not go to school. In an interview, she said that many of the children she meets say they are too old. She would always respond to such students by saying that she herself is at school. This would give the necessary boost to the children. Priscilla Sitienei received praise from UNESCO for her work in promoting education. She expressed to the organization her desire to inspire young mothers to return to school as well as advance their literacy skills.
The French film “Gogo” honored the old woman’s life. Patrick Pessis was so inspired by her life that he ended up writing a whole movie about her. Priscilla Sitienei passed away at the age of 100.