Italian returns to school at age 90: 'My classmates are like my grandchildren'

An Italian woman who lost formal education because of World War II returned to the classroom at age 90, in dolianova, the Sardinia.

Annunziata Murgia is the oldest person in his night class to attend classes for middle School diploma, or high school diploma, an exam typically taken by high school children at age 14.

“I like studying, I always have,” she told Il Messaggero. “But when the war broke out everything changed for me. I had to go to work because my family was struggling and I had to do my part. Only those who had money could study”, says Annunziata.

She said she learned to sew as a child and became a seamstress. But she read a lot of books, and so “she studied alone, whenever she could”.

His passions are history and The music. “I have always loved history books, especially because I lived through much of the history written in books – I saw the consequences of the first world war and I lived through the second.”

Marina Pilia, a literature teacher at the school, described Annunziata as a very passionate and engaged student.

“Despite having some hearing difficulties and not being in the best shape due to a fall, she actively participates in classes, especially history,” said Marina.

The school mainly serves adults and those aged between 16 and 20 who need to retake their school exams. The average age of students in Annunziata's class is over 40, some of whom are also preparing for their high school diploma.

“Often they are women who resume their studies after having children, or people who never obtained a diploma and need it to work, as it is the minimum education requirement,” said Pilia.

The last person in Annunziata's age group to take the exam at school was a woman of 87 yearsIn 2016.

Annunziata said her teachers are “fantastic” and her classmates are “like my grandchildren".

“Some accompany me at home at night, when it is dark,” he added. And she is ready for the exam. “I’m going to give it my all.”