Meeting an 88-yr-old primary school pupil – Beats own grandchildren’s performance

Studying in one of the Islamiyya primary schools in Kundila, Tarauni local government area of the Kano State, Malam Modibbo, who said he has kept aside his eighty years and considers himself eight years old, said his decision to go back to school should not be seen as a belated decision because according to him, […]

Studying in one of the Islamiyya primary schools in Kundila, Tarauni local government area of the Kano State, Malam Modibbo, who said he has kept aside his eighty years and considers himself eight years old, said his decision to go back to school should not be seen as a belated decision because according to him, in seeking for knowledge, there is no time frame. “It is not late to go back to school at this age because as Muslims we are advised to seek for knowledge from our cradle to the grave.”

He explained that it was not his ambition to work with the certificate but would want to travel wide and have his horizons widen through new knowledge. He said his ambition was to read up to university level and be able to acquire a doctorate degree, saying there would be a grand celebration when he finally bags that laurel.

Explaining how he got himself enrolled into the primary school, Modibbo said he went to the school with the intention of enrolling his grandchildren but the scenario there made him develop interest. He said when he told the head teacher of his desire to enrol, he was encouraged and admitted him into the school.

Now in his second year, the class two pupil told Weekly Trust he is doing well because out of 35 pupils that sat for the first term exams, he came second, saying he has performed even better than his two grandchildren, who scored 14th and 15th positions, respectively. He added that with the high score, he was hoping that when the school resumes after vacation, he might be made the class monitor.

Mallam Suleiman Garba Ibrahim is the head teacher of the school. He told Weekly Trust that he commends the courage and determination exhibited by Modibbo, saying he was grasping everything taught to him in a wonderful way. “He’s a fantastic pupil,” Ibrahim said.

Explaining the factor responsible for his ability to grasp things even at old age, the old man said a brain that has been stocked with the Holy Quran at an early stage would easily grasp things. He stated that equipping one’s child with the knowledge of the Holy Quran at an early age – even before taking him to a modern school – would sharpen the child’s .

Weekly Trust learnt that Modibbo, who lived most of his life in Lagos working as a bricklayer, has not been a stark illiterate. He had attended Islamic school as a child and had read religious books under the tutelage of his late father. He was just not opportune to attend a formal Western school, a gap he now wants to fill.

Asked about his relationship with other pupils, Modibbo said there was a cordial relationship between him and the pupils. “They are like my grandchildren. They respect me. I like them and get along with them perfectly,” he said.

Married with eight children, Modibbo, looking young and agile, said he enjoys his new school and goes there by boarding a commercial bus after donning his school uniform.  His children pay for his daily transport fare to-and-fro. When asked about the secret of his healthy looks, he said it was the culmination of four things. “When I was reading religious books under Islamic scholars, I learnt that if you want to live a healthy life in this world you must abide by these rules: eat food when you are hungry, sleep when it comes, avoid too much sex and when you wake up in the morning, take little amount of water before taking anything.”