In India, a woman learned to read and write at the age of 104 – Corriere.it

Kuttiyamma He always wanted to learn to read. But her parents were very poor and needed her to cook and take care of the house and her eleven siblings.

Today – at the age of 104 – the elderly lady who lives in the village of Thiruvananthapur, in the state of Kerala, south India, has succeeded in this feat: and Every morning, as I mentioned BBC And from guardianEnjoy the local newspaper Malayala Manorama.

“I wanted to study and be a teacher – she told reporters who went to meet her in the house where she lives – But at that time, it was not reasonable for a woman to go to school Even boys left school at the age of nine.”

Then, when she was 16, she married TK Konthi, who owned a small herbal medicine store. Kutiyama raised five children and is now a great-grandmother.

The desire to crown this old dream returned to her Watching grandchildren do their homework: “I peeked at their books but didn’t understand anything.”

The children study in English while Kutiyamma speaks only Malay, the local language. At that time, Rehana John, a neighbor who works as a teacher, found out about her concern and told her about it A government program to eradicate the illiteracy of the elderly: “So I got the books and started studying with her,” he says.

Unsteady on her legs, and bent over by the years, in just one year did Kuttyamma not only learn to read, But she got an enviable “report card”: In the National Literacy Exam, he scored 89 points out of 100.

One finding that was praised in a tweet by the Kerala Department of Education: Age is not an obstacle to knowledge. With all due respect and love, I wish Kotiyama and all the other students the best of luck.”

“It wasn’t difficult – he says – and now I want to try my hand at English.” The study continues.