Online Reporter
Tafadzwa Zimoyo
Zimpapers Entertainment Editor
SHE is probably the oldest Grade 7 student in the world.
Gogo Alice Chiwara is 71.
She is a Grade 7 student at Open Minds Learning Centre in Chitungwiza and went to school because she is “tired of asking her grandkids to write for her.”
Gogo Chiwara walks to school with books in hand not for her grandchildren, but for herself, just like the other kids in the neighbourhood.
She was born on July 7, 1954, in Hurungwe.
She is rewriting her story after being denied education as a girl.
“Our parents used to say a girl child is not supposed to go to school because they become prostitutes,” she told H-Metro.
Instead of school, her life was about farming, selling chickens, goat meat, vegetables and fetching firewood.
By just 17, she was already married.
But the pain of being uneducated followed her into adulthood.
“What made me want to go to school is that I could not read or write. I couldn’t even fill in forms,” she said.
“If I wanted to write a letter, I had to ask my children.”
It got worse when she started travelling and interacting with English speakers.
“I would meet people who spoke English and I didn’t know how to respond. I would just look at them,” she said.
Even her own grandchildren became a challenge.
“They spoke English and I didn’t know what to say. That also motivated me.”
In 2022, at 68, she made a bold move – she went back to school.
“On my first day there were only children and I was the oldest but they told me it was okay,” she said.
And she didn’t just fit in, she EXCELLED.
“They tested me and in a few months I was moved to Grade 2… I even skipped a grade because I was performing well.”
Now in Grade 7, Gogo Alice is shining.
“In 2025, I was performing better than most of the kids. I was top of the class,” she said.
“I wake up at 3am to do my homework. My lessons start at 6am and I walk 45 minutes to school.”
In class, she’s a celebrity!
“The children call me ‘granny’. Some ask my age and I tell them I am 10 years and they get surprised.
“They hold my hands and ask why they are wrinkled and who ironed them.”
But not everyone is supportive.
“Others laugh at me and ask why I am going to school at my old age,” she said.
Still, she refuses to stop.
Her children now fully grown up and they are backing her fully.
“They support me and are happy for me,” she said. From struggling to fill forms to confidently navigating foreign countries, her transformation is inspiring.
“I have been to South Africa and the UK. Now I understand their signs and I can fill in forms.”
A mother of six and grandmother of 13, she now dreams of working at a crèche.
“I want to spend time with children… these jobs are easier at my age.”
Her journey is now inspiring others in the community.
“My presence has motivated other elders to go back to school.”
And her message is loud and clear:
“Learning never ends. It does not matter how old you are.”
