A 92-year-old great-grandmother from India goes to school for the first time in her life.
Salima Khan, a resident of Bulandshahr in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, said that there were no schools in her village when she was a girl.
'Khan chachi' learns to read at 92, inspires a village in UP's Bulandshahr
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) September 27, 2023
Salima has completed six months of education and is able to read and write. Her video, counting from one to 100, is making waves on social media. https://t.co/sEKRaNy0Rg pic.twitter.com/LNTrPmOaEA
Born around the year 1931, Khan got married at the age of 14.
She always longed to read and write but her dream could not come true for the longest time.
In 2023, six months ago, Salima Khan started school alongside classmates eight decades younger than her. Her grandson’s wife accompanies her to classes.
Her story came to light when a video of her counting from one to 100 made rounds on social media.
#WATCH | "I like to study…I attend school, now I can count notes…" says Salima Khan pic.twitter.com/Ty5rUoUtTf
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) September 27, 2023
Speaking to Times of India, she said, “My grandchildren used to trick me into giving them extra money as I couldn’t count currency notes. Those days are gone.”
School headmistress Pratibha Sharma stated that the teachers were initially “hesitant” but they realised how much “passion” the nonagenarian had for studying.
“We didn’t have the heart to refuse her,”she said.
According to Sharma, Khan’s story has inspired 25 women from her village to enroll in classes including two of her daughters-in-law.
