A 50-year-old woman in Meghalaya has become a 'role model' for thousands of people including several academicians and students of the state.

Proving that age is just a number, the quinquagenarian became the oldest student of Balawan College in Ri Bhoi District to pass the Class XII examinations conducted by the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE).

Lakyntiew Syiemlieh, the quinquagenarian student, dropped out from Laitumkhrah Presbyterian Higher Secondary School in 1989 when she was in Class IX.

The reason- she was scared of Mathematics!

Years rolled by and she moved to Umsning Lum-Umpih with her uncle and then got married in 1991.

Burdened with household chores and the duty to raise her four kids, the thought of education and studies went out of the window.

But something changed in 2008 when the villagers asked her to teach in the SSA school with a monthly salary of Rs 500.

Even though she enjoyed teaching and she was happy with the salary, however, when her colleagues asked her to restart her education, something clicked her from inside.

After giving a deep thought for almost a year, Syiemlieh finally decided to don the students' dress and she enrolled herself in the evening school of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

And all this happened after a gap of around 26 years!

With Economics, Business, Home Science, English and Painting,  Syiemlieh cleared her Class X in 2017 with two attempts.

Once clearing the Class X, the urge to study further grew more and she approached Balawan College for admission.

Even though the school's principal was initially a bit surprised to see her, however, did not send her back empty-handed and she was enrolled in the school as a non-regular student.

The new chapter, which began in 2018, has been an interesting one in Syiemlieh's life and in 2019 when she appeared for the Class XI examination, she decided to appear the examination wearing the school's uniform.

She was loved and respected by her classmates and she "enjoyed life" in her second phase as a student.

Syiemlieh now wants to continue studying and not just stop after Class XII.

She wants to pursue her under graduation and take up Khasi as a major subject in the same college.

She likes poetry and she thus wishes to learn more about the Khasi language and keep it alive.

Age certainly is just a number when one has the will and the passion to achieve something in life.

50-year-old Lakyntiew Syiemlieh of Meghalaya stands as an epitome to this undying human spirit.