Aizawl, Jan 27 (PTI) Mizoram has decided to revert to the January-December school academic calendar from the existing April-March cycle from the 2027-28 academic year considering the state’s climate, topography and people’s lifestyle, Education Minister Vanlalthlana said on Tuesday.
He said that the January-December academic year will be followed for students in the primary and high school classes, while pupils in classes 11 and 12 will continue to use the existing April-March cycle.
The class 10 board examinations will continue to be held in February-March, the minister said.
The state’s academic calendar was shifted to the April-March cycle more than five years ago to align it with the national academic calendar, according to School Education Department Director Angela Zothanpuii.
Vanlalthlana said the decision to change the academic calendar again was made following a thorough assessment and consultation with various organisations, teachers and parents.
“We received opinions from 231 organisations, and teachers and parents, with 92.2 per cent of them having opted for the January-December cycle, while 6.5 per cent wanted to continue with the existing calendar, and 1.3 per cent were in favour of a separate calendar for the elementary section,” Vanlalthlana told reporters here.
He said the government is of the opinion that the January-December cycle is most suited to Mizoram, considering people’s lifestyle, and climate and topography of the state.
He said the government is also mulling an option to have school vacation during the rainy season to ensure the safety of students, as landslides and rockfalls are frequent during the monsoon.
The minister said the government will also discontinue the use of common school dresses for all government schools from the next academic session. It was introduced under the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government.
“The move is not politically motivated but due to requests from several schools and teachers’ organisations that pointed out several lapses,” he said.
School uniforms will be at the discretion of respective schools, he said.
Vanlalthlana said the Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) will, from this year onwards, follow the policy of declaring results of classes 10 and 12 without awarding distinction, division or ranks to students in the result book to ensure there is quality education and the pupils don’t compete only for rank or higher percentage.
MBSE chairman J H Zoremthanga, who accompanied the minister at the press conference, said the move was taken with an objective to do away with the traditional practice of rote learning and to ensure quality education through competency-based learning.
He said students from the state lack quality and understanding of their subjects due to the learn-by-heart system, which makes them lag behind others at national competitive exams.
Vanlalthlana also announced that the government will continue to follow the existing school timetable of commencement at 9 am based on a majority decision during a public consultation held in July last year. PTI CORR ACD
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