Tamil Nadu's 108YO Woman Outperforms Students In Kerala Exam, Inspires Many By Defying The Odds

Many people were shocked to learn that a 108-year-old Tamil Nadu woman finished first in the state of Kerala's literacy programme. In her early years, Kamalakanni, who was allegedly born in 1915 in Cumbum, in Tamil Nadu's Theni district, started working in the cardamom field in Kerala, a neighbouring state. Here's what we know.

Tamil Nadu's 108 YO Woman Tops Kerala Exam

News 18

While this programme co-educates interested senior citizens, the 108-year-old Kamalakanni, who relocated from Tamil Nadu's Theni to work on the cardamom farm in Kerala, is receiving an education.

Kamalakanni started working on a cardamom farm to support her struggling family after graduating from second grade and relocating to the Vandanmedu region, which is primarily populated by Tamil people and located precisely at the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Due to Kerala's abundance of cardamom farms, workers from Tamil Nadu began to travel there in large numbers to work. In this way, Kamalakanni had worked in the cardamom fields for the previous 80 years of her life. She couldn't finish school because she had to work on the farm all the time.

News 18

This 108-year-old woman has enrolled in Kerala's literacy programme and begun studying. She has good hearing and vision. Many people are praising Kamalakanni as a model for the initiative. Furthermore, even at her very advanced age, her commitment to education has earned her praise.

She eventually began writing in both Tamil and Malayalam, and on the test administered by the Literacy Project, she received a score of 97 out of 100. Many organisations in Kerala are appreciative of her desire to take part in the programme despite her age.

According to Kamalakanni's grandson, who spoke with News18, the fifth generation now resides in Vandanmedu, and preparations are being made to celebrate their grandmother's 109th birthday the following month. "Although my grandmother had only finished the second grade at the time, she has always been very motivated to learn.

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They expressed interest in instructing our grandmother when we approached them after learning about the Sampoornam Shastra. "We are happy that she has led by example even at her advanced age. The Kerala Government has also given her recognition for achieving higher marks in the program, he continued.

Kerala has the highest literacy rates in India

Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India, at 96.2%, according to a survey conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO). In order to assist senior citizens in acquiring educational knowledge, the Kerala government has implemented a programme under the Education initiative with the slogan "Education for All and Always." Similar to the "Arivoli Iyakkam" (mass literacy movement) that was carried out in Tamil Nadu, the Sampoornam Shastra literacy programme in Kerala teaches education to the elderly with the intention of imparting knowledge and on the premise that the elderly should "sign their names".

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