Lalringthara Fanai’s teachers were “amazed” to see him when he walked back into school. He had been absent from the classroom for a long time – decades, in fact. The farmer in north-east India dropped out of school as a small child in the early 50s, partly due to his family’s poverty.
Now, aged 78-year-old, Mr Fanai is back, completing his education so that he can learn English and understand the news. He studies alongside 13- and 14 year-olds, proving age is just a number.
He lives in a remote village in the state of Mizoram – known for its evergreen hills and dense bamboo jungles. But going back to school requires grit and determination just to get there.
Mr Fanai walks three kilometres to the school from his house to attend classes every day and then back again, as he does not own a vehicle and there are no transport facilities.
The unmarried septuagenarian, who wears a school uniform and tie just like his fellow students, said he originally dropped out in Year 2 (aged around six or seven years old).
“I was born on 5 November, 1946 at New Hruaikawn village close to the Indo-Myanmar border,” he tells i.
“My father was a farmer with limited means. I went to a local school, but couldn’t stay after Class II [Year 2], due to economic issues.
He said he was also troubled by a friend’s illness, explaining the classmate “used to faint and fell unconscious in the class”.
Childishly, he says, he feared he could face similar problems and thought it best to terminate his education. “I left school and began to assist my father in his fields.”
Years went by and Mr Fanai continued to work, until in 2018 he began to be frustrated by his problems understanding and reading daily news and current affairs in English.
“I realised that it was difficult for me to read, write and speak in English. I also had issues in its pronunciation. I decided to go back to school and overcome my shortcomings,” he says.
In 2018 he took the admission test for Year 5, in which children are typically aged nine or 10, at a local school in his village and then completed Year 8 in 2023. After that he took an admission test to join Hruaikawn Secondary school in Year 9 in April this year.
His teachers were impressed when he stepped into the school for the first time. “We were amazed and were in awe of him,” says Rosalind Ralte, his science teacher.
“We had already informed our students before he joined the class, so there was not much problem in making the adjustment. We have 11 students in the class. His favourite subject is Mizo, our local language.”
Ms Ralte said the teachers were “thankful to have him as a student” as it was a great opportunity for the school, saying his abilities were about average for the class.
Mr Fanai is blessed with good health and fitness despite his advancing years and enjoys the company of his teenage classmates.
“It seems that I am living my childhood again,” he says. “I wake up early every day and feel happy and energetic to walk to my school and then make my way back.
“The long walk of three kilometres is never tedious for me, due to my passion and eagerness to meet my classmates and friends every day.”
Within a short time he has made some “best friends” in the school, with whom he loves to play football and cricket in the schoolground.
Peter Lalchhuansanga, his classmate and friend, said all the other students get on well with Mr Fanai.
“We were surprised to see him at first, but now we are happy to have him among us.
“He is my best friend and we play different games with each other. He is jovial and lively and we enjoy each other’s company a lot.”
The 78 year-old’s case is not an isolated one in India. Dropping out of school because of poverty and lack of infrastructure are common issues for children not able to complete even a basic education.
According to the Indian government, the school dropout rate in India is around 12.6 per cent, while 19.8 per cent of students discontinue education at secondary level (Year 9 to Year 12) and 17.5 per cent drop out at the upper primary level (Year 6-8).
