90-Year-Old Kenyan Woman Priscilla Sitienei Goes To School, Learns To Read And Write Alongside Great-Great-Grandkids

A 90-year-old woman is going to school to learn skills that she never had the opportunity to acquire when she was younger.
Priscilla Sitienei has been attending Leaders Vision Preparatory School in her village of Ndalat, Kenya, for the past five years according to BBC News. Sitienei didn’t have the chance to learn how to read and write, but is finally doing so now.
The 90-year-old, who goes to school with six of great-great-grandchildren, says she has some big goals.
“I’d like to be able to read the Bible,” Sitienei, whose classmates are between the ages of 11 and 14, told BBC News. “I also want to inspire children to get an education.”
Sitienei’s school day is just like any other student’s at the prep school, BBC News reported. She wears the school uniform to classes, and takes math, English, physical education, dance, drama and singing. She also lives in one of the campus dormitories, where she rooms with one of her great-great-grandchildren.
Her commitment to learning has made her a role model for the students.
“Gogo has been a blessing to this school, she has been a motivator to all the pupils,” David Kinyanjui, the school’s principal, told BBC News, using Sitinei’s nickname which means “grandmother” in the local Kalenjin language. “She is loved by every pupil, they all want to learn and play with her.”
The 90-year-old, who served as a midwife in her village for several decades, wants her story to spur others to take another chance at getting an education.
“Too many older children are not in school. They even have children themselves. They tell me they are too old,” she told BBC. “I tell them, ‘Well I am at school and so should you.'”
Sitinei’s passion for learning is shared by Charlotte Butler of Naugatuck, Connecticut,who began pursuing a Post University college degree in 2013 at the age of 80, according to the University’s website. The 80-year-old, who set out to attain her Bachelor of Science in human services, wished to set an example for her sons, helping them understand the importance of education.
To see video of this story, click here.
article by Kimberly Yam via huffingtonpost.com