World’s oldest primary school pupil dies aged 99

Priscilla Sitieni, the world’s oldest primary school student on record, has died in Kenya at the age of 99.

The elderly woman fondly known as Gogo Priscilla (Granny Priscilla), won praise from UNESCO, which described her as “a role model for her community and beyond” following her resolve to acquire an education in her 90s.

The nonagenarian whose story inspired a French film, died at home on Wednesday after developing a chest complication, her grandson, Sammy Chepsiror, told The Standard newspaper.

He said; “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”.

UNESCO had disclosed that Priscilla was 94 years old when she appealed to the headmaster of the local school in her village Rift Valley, Kenya to admit her.

In 2022, during an interview with the UN agency, Priscilla 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 said.

Her story was retold in a French film titled “Gogo”, and it afforded her a chance to board an airplane for the first time last year to visit France and meet first lady Brigitte Macron.

Meanwhile, Patrick Pessis, a co-writer of the film paid tribute to late Gogo Priscilla on Thursday, tweeting: “Her message about girls’ education lives on.”

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