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A 104-year-old woman from Kerala, India has passed a state literacy test. Her name is Kuttiyamma and she only learned to read and write last year. Despite having just a year's tuition and being somewhat older than the average pupil, Kuttiyamma passed her tests with flying colours. She achieved a score of 89 per cent on the Kerala State Literacy Test. Such was her inspirational achievement, Kerala's education minister congratulated her. He tweeted: "With the utmost love and respect, I wish Kuttiyamma…the best." He uploaded a photo of the star student in which she is grinning from ear to ear. Another person tweeted: "I salute Kuttiyamma for her dedication. It will inspire others for sure."
Kerala state has India's highest literacy rate at 96.2 per cent and invests heavily in education. It has a strong focus on adult education, which Kuttiyamma benefited from. Her endeavours prove that age is just a number and that we can achieve anything when we put our minds to it. Kuttiyamma did not have a formal education as she did not go to school. However, her state-assigned tutor called her "a very sharp woman". He said his student was "overjoyed" after she saw her test results. A state official said: "Kuttiyamma is a role model and motivation to all women in adult education". Kuttiyamma said she wants to start writing letters and continue her studies to improve her skills.
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