78-year-old man from Mizoram walks 3 kilometres to attend school daily
Lalringthara defies the societal 'age-bars' and showcases his desire to learn something new everyday.
Lalringthara from Mizoram demonstrated that there is no age for learning and it is a process that continues one’s whole life by enrolling in Class 9 at the ripe old age of 78 in an effort to realise his lifelong ambition of becoming educated on his own. Lalringthara, who was born in 1945 in the Champhai district’s Khuangleng village near the border between Mizoram and Myanmar, was only able to finish the second grade of his education. This was brought on by the family falling into utter poverty as a result of his father’s early death. When he lost his father at the age of two, he was made to assist his mother in the fields.
She was finally able to re-enrol him in Class 5 three years later. But because he needed to labour in the paddy fields to make ends meet, his educational disruptions persisted. He even started working as a guard at the nearby Presbyterian church, where he is still employed now, to make ends meet. He was able to learn the Mizo language and become literate despite setbacks.
After over 70 years, Lalringthara enrolled in Class 5 in his home village of New Hruaikawm in 2018. He finished eighth grade in middle school and wanted to continue his studies, but his village lacked a high school. Lalringthara visited the neighbourhood Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan High School in April of this year to apply for admission. Despite their understandable surprise, the school administration allowed him to enrol in Class 9 and provided him with the required textbooks and uniform.
He walks 3 kilometres every day to attend classes and wishes to learn English to read, write, and understand the language. “We are happy to be a part of his journey to fulfil his ambition. We will try our best to ensure that he completes high school,” said Puia, a teacher from RMSA school.
