A 50-year-old Nigerian woman realizes her dream by returning to junior high school to learn to read and write.
AFRICA | Sade Ajayi, a 50-year-old Nigerian woman, is demonstrating that age is no obstacle to education by enrolling in junior secondary school to realize her lifelong educational goal.
Sade is presently enrolled at Ilorin Grammar School in Kwara State, Nigeria, as a Junior Secondary School 2 (JSS2) student. She had never been a student before recently.
She is now 50 years old and determined to boost her business by learning to read and write. She is already a businesswoman who makes handbags and bags, and she thinks that schooling will help her in communication and commerce.
Shade attends classes with pupils who are almost 40 years her junior. She is dressed in the same pink outfit and matching head covering as the other classmates.
Shade declared with assurance, “I don’t feel embarrassed to wear a uniform.” Shade never had the opportunity to go to school as a child. Rather, she assisted with sales at her aunt’s store.
She later established her own company, producing and marketing bags and handbags. She had trouble reading and writing, though, which made managing the company more difficult.
Shade made the decision to start school in 2020 because she was determined to improve her circumstances. However, schools were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She finally got her long-awaited chance when classes resumed in January 2021.
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She now sits among pupils between the ages of 11 and 13, participates fully in class activities, and raises her hand to answer questions.
Nasrat Busari, Shade’s instructor, commended her confidence and commitment. He remarked, “She has been handling them well: playing together, talking together, and discussing things together.”
Shola Adeboye, Shade’s daughter, first acknowledged that she felt ashamed that her mother was going to school with kids younger than her. But as time went on, she came to respect her mother’s tenacity and now encourages her academic endeavors.
“She has always wanted to be educated but she couldn’t until now,” Adeboye said.
Despite attending school daily, Shade still runs her business by the side. During school hours, a helper manages her customers, and after school, she continues with her sewing and selling bags and purses.
She plans to complete at least four more years of education, believing it will enhance her business and open new opportunities. Shade also hopes to one day become a class teacher.
“People around me can read and write and they are succeeding in their businesses,” Shade explained.
Despite the criticism and discouragement, Shade remains focused and undeterred. “It’s my duty not to pay attention to what they’re saying,” she said.
