The First Grader is a true story about education. It tells the true story of Kimani N’gan’ga Maruge an 84 year old kenyan man and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who enrolls for primary education when in 2003 the Kenyan government announced free education for all.

Maruge gets rejected initially but is enrolled later under the executive decision of a young teacher who could understand him. But this is just a start of what he has to face to make his dream come true. The road to letters and numbers are not always walked on paper, but through hurdles thrown all over the way.

The only school is so ill occupied even for the kids who want education and Maruge has to fight his way through with the authorities and parents of the children who all fail to understand why an 84 year old should learn to read and write. But he has a reason.

According to Maruge, education is what will elevate them from the poverty they are in and “The power is in the pen”. What a lovely message and heart touching movie. The movie is directed by Justin Chadwick and the role of Maruge is so powerfully done by Oliver Litondo

The power of education and the need for people to be literate and above all the fact that every age is good to start learning something. I highly recommend you to watch this movie,.