KENYA: 86-year-old great-grandfather becomes world's oldest pupil after Kenya government introduces free primary education

With his stubbly grey beard and walking stick at his side, 86-year-old Kimani Maruge does not look much like a pupil as he and other school students arrive at Kapkenduiywo Primary School. Maruge looks a little out of place among the rows of children sitting behind wooden desks at Kapkenduiywo Primary School. Yet school student he is. And classmates 10 times his junior would be hard-pressed to match the enthusiasm of Maruge, a farmer and veteran of Kenya's 1950s anti-colonial Mau Mau revolt, who has the distinction of being the oldest pupil on the planet. "The reason I wanted to study is to show Kenya children and the entire world that education is more important than anything else, more than being wealthy whether its having lots of money of livestock. True wealth is being educated and getting a degree. You can be born with it or you can buy it, but you must have it," Maruge says at the crowded school in a poor neighbourhood outside Eldoret in Kenya's western farmlands. The illiterate great-grandfather - who has outlived 10 of his 15 children -- jumped at a belated chance to educate himself when President Mwai Kibaki introduced free primary schooling in the east African nation in 2003. Enrolment across Kenya shot up overnight, with 1.2 million more children going to school. Kapkenduiywo had 375 pupils before Kibaki's measure, and now has 892. But there are none quite like Maruge. He says his inspiration came from listening to a preacher in church and suspecting he was misinterpreting the Bible. When he first turned up at the school gates in regulation knee-length socks, cut-off trousers and navy blue jumper, Maruge was greeted with laughter. Teaching staff tried at first to direct him to adult education classes. But when he returned again and again, they realised he would not be deterred, and anyway there is no legal age-limit for primary school entrance in Kenya. "Physically, Maruge looks much younger than (when) he came and he even looks much happier. It is as though he has rejuvenated, he is getting a second chance in life and that has made us all feel very happy to see him getting younger by the day that is one thing that has really come up clearly. Then the other thing is that he can read, he can read his Kiswahili bible, he can write and sign his name so we are happy that there is a lot of changes in him," says headmistress Jane Obinchu. In the classroom, Maruge's favourite subjects are Swahili and maths, but he struggles with English which is new and strange to him. He is treated like any other school student except for one privilege: tea at break. Fellow pupils treat him with care and respect, and love to listen to his tales of Kenyan history between classes. "He does not like going like going to the playground because of the sun, he doesn't like the sun, he enjoys sitting in the shade," says Irene Wairimu, Murage's 11-year-old classmate. Hobbling on a foot he says was disfigured when he was tortured by British colonial captors during the Mau Mau revolt, Maruge can not keep up with all the playground games. But he watches with relish and is always surrounded by chattering kids. Known in his neighbourhood as "Mzee" - a Swahili term of respect for an elder - Maruge is happy to show off his new knowledge, reading passages of the Bible slowly and clearly in front of his house after school. Despite his advanced years, Maruge has plenty of dreams for the future. "I will only stop studying when I have seen the world, or if I go blind. But for now, I'm still alive, and I still have my eyesight. I will stay at school until I get a degree or until I am called professor, doctor, Kimani Maruge," the old-timer said. Although still living humbly, Maruge has become a national celebrity and something of a poster boy for free education campaigners worldwide. Last year, he was feted at the United Nations in New York. This year, a Hollywood crew are working on a film about him. But more than anything right now, Maruge just loves to read.

ITN Source | November 17, 2006

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