College Dream Coming True for Two Seniors

Li and Meng, two senior residents in Nanyang, Central China's Henan province, show their college admission letters. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Two senior men in their 70s and 80s in Nanyang, Central China's Henan province have become the local superstars after they were admitted into a vocational college.

Li Zhixin and Meng Qingli, two villagers from Sanguanmiao village in Nanzhao county, took part in the college entrance examination and were admitted to Nanyang Vocational College of Agriculture.

Jia Guowen, the deputy Party secretary of the college, said that it's the first time the college has accepted senior students, and he was deeply impressed by the two men.

The seniors have spent most of their spare time reading, studying and looking up information in various materials. They often helped solve farm-related problems. For example, some people in nearby villagers would came to consult with them on questions such as preventing illness in poultry, and nursery grafting techniques.

Due to his physical conditions, Meng wanted to give up several times during the preparation process, but Li encouraged him to regain his confidence and Meng finally achieved his goal to attend college.

In the future, the two men will receive face-to-face lessons six times a year. Taking their health condition into consideration, the college will adopt various teaching methods to work with them, such as online and offline teaching.

For some of the courses, the teachers will go to their homes for private tutorials. Besides, Tuition is free for both students.