The death of the oldest primary school student in the world.. she is 99 years old
Priscilla Cetinje, the world's oldest primary school student, has died at the age of 99 in Kenya. A French film based on her perseverance to learn in her 90s earned her praise from UNESCO.
Her grandson, Sami Chepsirur, told The Standard newspaper on Thursday that Priscilla, who was known as "Gogo Priscilla", died Wednesday inside her home after suffering chest complications.
He pointed out that "Gogo was in good health and attended her classes as usual, but she stopped attending school three days before her death after she felt chest pain that forced her to leave school," adding, "We are proud of her."
UNESCO indicated that Priscilla was 94 years old when she persuaded the headmaster of the local school in her village in the Rift Valley, Kenya, to accept her request to complete her studies, praising this woman as "a role model inside and outside her community."
In an interview with UNESCO last year, Priscilla said her aim for Back to School is to encourage young mothers in Kenya to go back to school after having children, rather than drop out out of fear of social stigma.
"I wanted to set an example not only for them but for other girls around the world who are not going to school," she said.
Priscilla's efforts were covered in a French film entitled "Gogo", which allowed her last year to board a plane for the first time in her life and go to France to meet the wife of French President Brigitte Macron.
The co-writer of the film, Patrick Bcis, paid tribute to Priscilla Thursday, asserting in a tweet that her "message of girls getting an education will live on forever."
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news