A Kenyan great-grandmother, Priscilla Sitieni, who was celebrated as the world’s oldest pupil in 2019 when she registered at a primary school at the age of 94 has died aged 99, local media reports on Saturday.
Sitieni whose resolve to acquire an education in her 90s, had inspired an award wining French film and won praise from UNESCO and other international organisations.
Her grandson, Sammy Chepsiror, who announced the demise of Sitieni, told journalists that “Gogo Priscilla (Granny Priscilla), as she was fondly known, died at home on Wednesday after developing a chest complication.”
“Gogo has been in good health and attending her classes until three days to her demise when she developed chest pains, which forced her out of school.
“We are thankful for the 100 years of her life. She made all of us proud,” Chepsiror said.
According to UNESCO, Sitieni was 94 when she persuaded the headmaster of the local school in her village in Kenya’s Rift Valley to admit her, an act that drew worldwide praise for her with the United Nations hailing her as “a role model for her community and beyond”.
In an interview with the UN agency last year, she said her aim was to motivate young mothers in Kenya to return to school after having children, instead of dropping out due to shame or fear of social stigma.
“I wanted to show an example not only to them but to other girls around the world who are not in school.
“Without education, there will be no difference between you and a chicken. Education is your future. Education remains in your head forever and you cannot lose it once you have it,” she had said.
Her resilience and efforts were documented in a French film titled “Gogo”, which led her to take a plane for the first time last year to visit France and meet first lady Brigitte Macron.