Story of Priscilla Sitienei, an elementary school pupil, inspires generation in Kenya.
She grew up in Kenya under colonial rule, when women didn’t get an education.
Now in her 90s, Priscilla Sitienei is changing that, attending elementary school — and inspiring a generation.
She started five years ago as a kindergartener at a boarding shool near Eldoret. She’s in fourth grade today.
“I had grandchildren and great-grandchildren who shunned school,” she says by phone from Ndalat. “That made me mad. I decided I have to show them that education is important.”
Though Sitienei worked as a traditional midwife for decades, she says there’s still a lot to learn.
“My favorite subject is math,” the nonagenarian says. “Now that I’m in school, I know the right dosage to give the women who I help deliver their babies.”
Sitienei got married at a young age and focused on raising her 10 children.
“I could not go to school even if I wanted,” she says. “In my time, educating a woman was considered a waste of time and money.”
Priscilla Sitienei in her school uniform
She enthusiastically describes her love for school and her fellow pupils, some of whom she helped bring into this world.
“They call me gogo,” she says, using the word for grandmother in her local Kalenjin tribe. “We play in swings during recess, we talk, I like school.”
Sitienei has a special dorm room tucked away in a corner, where she doles out wisdom to her proteges. Outside her door is a sign that says “education has no age limit.”
Her three grandchildren are her classmates. They have friendly competitions on who’ll make the best grades.
