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Priscilla Sitienei went to school until old age
Photo:
MONICAH MWANGI / REUTERS
She was voted the "oldest elementary school student in the world": Pricilla Sitienei.
She died in Kenya on Friday at the age of 99, according to her grandson Sammy Chepsiror.
When she was over ninety, she had attended school regularly for the first time with her great-great-grandchildren.
She is said to have gone to class every day until the end.
The exact reasons of her death are not known.
According to a report by the BBC broadcaster, Sitienei had health problems in the classroom on Wednesday.
She and her mostly 12-year-old classmates were in the process of preparing for the final exams that were to begin next week.
As a child, Sitienei had explained in interviews that she did not have the opportunity to learn to read and write.
That's why she's doing this now.
When she was young, her family could not afford schooling.
Sitienei worked as a midwife for several decades.
For many people, the Kenyan was an educational icon.
With her school visit, Sitienei also wanted to point out that not all children in Kenya have the opportunity to go to school.
She was also concerned with getting older students to attend classes regularly, especially young mothers.
"Without education there is no difference between you and a chicken," she says to the young women, Sitienei once explained to the "BBC".
Young people often countered that they were too old for school.
Sitienei explained, "Then I answer: If I go to school, so should you."
School attendance in Kenya has only been free since a school reform almost 20 years ago.
In rural areas in particular, however, there is a lack of funds for adequate education.
According to the United Nations, 60 percent of young people between the ages of 15 and 17 do not attend school in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sitienei's story was captured in the 2020 film »Gogo« by French director Pascal Plisson.
Gogo means "grandmother" in the Kalendjin language spoken in northwestern Kenya.
One of the co-authors, Patrick Pessis, wrote on Twitter on Friday: Sitienei's message on girls' education lives on.
fok/dpa