By NE NOW NEWS
Aizawl: The Mizoram Independent Schools’ Association (MISA), a body representing private school owners in the state, has expressed deep disappointment over the new format adopted by the Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) for publishing Classes 10 and 12 results.
The MBSE has stopped publishing merit lists (top-10 rankings), distinctions, and divisions in its result books from this year.
The move aims to discourage high-stakes competition among students driven by rote memorisation and instead focus on quality and competency-based education, according to officials.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference here, MISA President Lalnunkunga Sailo strongly criticised the new results format, alleging that it would negatively affect students’ motivation and academic competitiveness.
He said the board’s decision to omit merit lists, subject toppers, letter marks, and division classifications from the published results had not only demoralised students but also disappointed the people of Mizoram.
“The move will undermine healthy academic competition among students, which is essential for encouraging excellence,” he said.
According to Sailo, the previous system, which highlighted outstanding individual performances and high-performing schools, encouraged healthy competition among students and helped recognise individual academic excellence, hard work, and school performance.
The new format, he argued, removes distinctions between high-performing institutions and less academically driven schools and places all schools on the same level regardless of performance.
He described the move as a serious dilution of educational standards.
The MISA president said the reasons cited by the MBSE and the School Education Minister for changing the result format, such as discouraging rote learning, reducing stress among students, and aligning with ICSE and CBSE practices that do not publish merit lists, lacked strong justification.
He added that, considering the mindset and educational environment of Mizo students, the new result system could lead to complacency and reduced competitiveness among many students.
MISA also expressed concern that the change may discourage highly capable and ambitious students, which it termed deeply unfortunate.