06 May 2005

The oldest primary school pupil in the world, sent his personal message today to the G8 leaders. Mr Kimani Nganga Maruge, 85, from Kenya, gave his message to ActionAid staff from Get on Board, the Jo’burg to G8  bus, which is collecting messages from people living in poverty in Africa, to take to the G8 summit in Gleneagles in July.

Mr Maruge, who was deprived the opportunity of going to school as a child, began school in January 2004 when primary education was declared free in Kenya. He now attends Kapkenduiywa Primary School in Eldoret, which two of his 30 grandchildren also attend.

Mr Maruge’s message to world leaders is simply: "Thank you for free education."

Mr Maruge, now a prefect at the school, continued: "I enjoy english and maths a great deal. If God could make me live to 300 then I could finish my education."

The development agency Actionaid, who is one of the key players in the MakePovertyHistory campaign, says that worldwide 100 million children are missing primary education and 1 billion people can’t read or write.

Brendan O’Donnell, ActionAid UK’s Youth Campaigns Manager and a member of the Get on Board crew, said "It is great that children in Kenya can now have free primary education, but so much more could be done. By cancelling Kenya’s debt education expenditure could increase by roughly 50%. Cancelling the debt to Kenya would only cost a fifth of what the UK public spend on pet food and accessories.

"All over the developing world the cost of education for poor families stops millions of children from going to school. And, as we have seen on our journey across Africa so far, it is not just children who are affected by a lack of education. Education is one of the best ways for people to lift themselves out of poverty, and a powerful weapon in the fight against AIDS.

"Rich countries have promised that free education for all will be a reality by 2015, but for this to happen it is vital that in Gleneagles in July the G8 leaders decide to provide more and better aid, trade justice and to drop the debt. We are determined that Mr Maruge’s message, and the hundreds of others that we have collected so far, will be heard in Scotland by the world’s most powerful leaders."