Aizawl: Mizoram has decided to shift the school academic calendar from the existing April–March cycle to a January–December schedule starting from the 2027–28 academic year, a minister said on Tuesday.
School Education Minister Vanlalthlana said the new academic calendar (January–December) would be followed only from the primary to high school level, while Classes 11 and 12 would continue under the existing April–March cycle.
The schedule for the Class 10 board examination will remain unchanged and the examination will continue to be held during February–March, he said.
The decision to change the academic calendar was taken after a thorough assessment and consultations with various organisations, teachers, and parents, he added.
“We received opinions from 231 organisations, teachers, and parents, and 92.2 per cent opted for the January–December cycle, 6.5 per cent wanted to continue with the existing calendar, while 1.3 per cent were in favour of a separate calendar for the elementary section,” Vanlalthlana told a news conference here.
He said the government is of the view that the January–December cycle is currently the most suitable for Mizoram, considering the people’s lifestyle, climate, and the state’s topography.
The minister said the government is also considering the option of having school vacations during the rainy season in May to ensure the safety of students, as landslides and rockfalls are frequent during this period, particularly in towns.
He also said the government will discontinue the use of common school uniforms for all government schools, which were introduced under the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government, from the next academic session.
The move is not politically motivated but is based on requests from several schools and teachers’ organisations, which pointed out several lapses, he said. School uniforms will be left to the discretion of the respective schools.
Vanlalthlana further said that the Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) will follow a policy of declaring the results of Classes 10 and 12 without awarding distinctions, divisions, or ranks, including the top 10 merit positions, in the results book from this year onwards to ensure quality education and reduce unhealthy competition among students.
MBSE Chairman J.H. Zoremthanga, who accompanied the minister at the press conference, said the move was aimed at doing away with the traditional practice of rote learning and promoting quality education through competency-based learning.
He added that students from the state often lack conceptual understanding due to the habit of rote learning, which causes them to lag behind others in national-level competitive examinations.
Vanlalthlana also announced that the government will continue with the existing school timetable, which begins at 9 a.m., based on a majority decision taken during a public consultation held in July last year.