According to local media, Priscilla Sitieni, the oldest known primary school student, died in Kenya at the age of 99. Sitieni was honoured by UNESCO for her perseverance in pursuing her education despite her advanced age and was the subject of a French movie.
Her grandson Sammy Chepsiror informed The Standard newspaper that Gogo Priscilla, as she was lovably known, passed away at home on Wednesday after developing a chest condition.
“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,” Chepsiror told the newspaper on Thursday.
“We are thankful for the 100 years of her life. She made all of us proud,” he stated.
She was 94 when she convinced the headmaster of the local school in her village in Kenya’s Rift Valley to let her in. UNESCO called her “a role model for her community and beyond.”
In an interview with a UN agency last year, she said that her goal was to get young moms in Kenya to go back to school after having kids instead of dropping out because they were ashamed or afraid of being judged.
She said, “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,” she said.
“Education is your future. Education remains in your head forever and you cannot lose it once you have it.”
Her efforts were shown in a French film called “Gogo,” which got her on an airplane for the first time to go to France and meet Brigitte Macron, the first lady.
Patrick Pessis, who worked with her on the movie, tweeted on Thursday, “Her message about girls’ education lives on.”