Viral: Old image of 104-year-old woman who scored 89/100 in Kerala literacy exam resurfaces

An old picture of a 104-year-old woman from Kerala, who had scored 89 out of 100 in the Kerala State Literacy Mission's test last year, has now gone viral on social media again. The picture, tweeted by IAS officer Awanish Sharan, shows Kuttiyamma getting emotional as she secured good grades in the State Government's continuing education initiative.

Have a look at the tweet here:

The women from Kottayam district in Kerala received much appreciation for proving the saying that age is just a number. She proved that age can never be a barrier to seeking knowledge.

Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “Hope is a good thing.” Another wrote, “Education has NO Boundaries.”

“Excellent, the News ! Love for anything, never fails You, provided you steadfastly pursue, what you love. What an achievement? Great. Congratulations to Amma,” wrote an user.

Pointing out that Karnataka should also bring in schemes for continuing education, a Twitter user wrote, “Karnataka too should bring out such literacy schemes for those missed or dropped out.”

The tweet so far has received more than 1,000 retweets and 18,000 likes.

Even though Kuttiyamma had never attended school, she could read. However, she lacked writing skills. The State Mission’s volunteer Rehna taught her how to write. Morning and evening classes were held at home and soon she became eligible to appear for the class 4 examinations. Kuttiyamma got married at the age of 16. Her husband TK Konthi had worked at an Ayurveda shop and passed away in 2002.

The Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority is an autonomous body under the state’s General Education Department. The literacy program funded by the state aims to develop literacy skills through continuing education. It provides secondary-level education to all citizens of the state. The beneficiaries of the Saksharatha programme include illiterates, neo-literates, school drop-outs, and individuals interested in lifelong education.