I’ll open a shop after I finish secondary school, says 61-year-old grandmother

Marriage may have forced Helen Odeba to quit her education but age hasn’t deterred her from taking a second stab at it.

At 61, Odeba has gone back to secondary school because she wants to “learn new things” and use her education for business.

In an interview with Punch, Odeba, who has nine children and seven grandchildren, says she’s performs better in Mathematics and English.

She said: “My eldest son and one of my female children studied at the Kaduna Polytechnic. They obtained diplomas there. One of my sons is a corps member. He studied at the Kogi State University. Another female child is currently at the Plateau State Polytechnic.

“I want to learn new things. I miss my years in primary school as a child when I learnt many things. I felt that I could learn more now that I have given birth to children. I am now able to concentrate on the future. This made me enrol at the Government Secondary School, Gonin Gora, Kaduna State. I started from the junior class.

“I like Mathematics and English. I always perform better in the two subjects than I do in others”, said the student of commercial class.

Odeba feels no shame in sharing a class with pupils as young as her grandchildren while also stating that she approaches her study with all seriousness in spite of the demands of the home front.

“I try to plan everything well. I cook and take care of the home on time. I also find time to read what I learn in school daily. There is no day I do not revise what I was taught in school.

“I want to open a shop after I finish with secondary school. I will know how to calculate money, talk to customers and give them their change.”