At 99, 'World's Oldest Primary School Pupil' Dies In Kenya

Ninety-nine-year-old Priscilla Sitienei, believed to be the oldest primary school student in the world, died at her home in Kenya, according to a BBC report. She started developing health complications after attending class on Wednesday. According to the outlet, the 99-year-old and her classmates were preparing for final exams which were due to start next week. 

She is affectionately referred to as "Gogo," which in the local Kalenjin language translates as "grandmother." In 2015, she told the BBC that she was finally learning to read and write, something she had never done as a child.

She was raised in Kenya, which was under the British empire at that time. She later witnessed the fight for her nation's independence. Prior to joining Leaders Vision Preparatory School in 2010, Priscilla Sitienei worked as a midwife in the Rift Valley of Ndalat village for more than six decades. Interestingly, she also assisted in the delivery of a few of her own classmates.

She had told BBC, "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 would also question children who were not studying at a school.

"They tell me they are too old," she said to the outlet. "I tell them: 'Well I am at school and so should you," she continued. 

She had also received praise from UNESCO for her efforts and told the UN agency that she wanted to motivate young mothers to return to school, BBC further said. 

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French film 'Gogo' is based on her life. Patrick Pessis, the co-writer of the film, paid tribute to the 99-year-old on Twitter. He said, "Priscilla Sitienei known as Gogo left us at 100 years old. I had written with Pascal Plisson GOGO, a film that she enchanted with her grace. In Kenya, shocked that her granddaughters do not go to school, she enrolls. For example. Her message on girls' education lives on."