A 90 year old midwife has joined her six great-great-grandchildren in primary school.
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Kenyan 90-Year-Old Great Grandmother Enrolls In Primary
Priscilla Sitienei who has practice midwifery for 65 years in the Rift Valley village of Ndalat, enrolled at the Leaders Vision Preparatory School five years ago with the intention of finally learning to read and write.
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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 her reason for going back to school was 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.
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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
Mrs Sitienei who takes part in Maths, English, PE, dance, drama and singing, says "too many older children are not in school. They even have children themselves; they tell me they are too old. I tell them, 'Well I am at school and so should you'."
"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," With education you can be whatever you want, a doctor, lawyer or a pilot." She said in an interview with BBC
Although she faced opposition before she was enroll in the school, the head teacher David Kinyanjui said she is now a "blessing and a motivator”.
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