Education in Mizoram – An Introduction
Mizoram in the local dialect means “Land of the hill people”. It is a landlocked state in the north eastern part of our country. Mizoram has a diverse tribal population with a very high (87%) Christian majority. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the heart of Mizoram, and hence, it has a pleasantly temperate climate throughout the year. Mizoram is a land of great natural beauty, an endless variety of landscape with rich flora and fauna, clusters of whispering pines and quaint villages with houses on stilts. As per 2011 census the population of Mizoram was 1.10 million, of which the male population was 5.55 million and female population was 5.42 million. The literacy rate of Mizoram was 91.33%, of which the male literacy is 93.35% and female literacy is 86.72%. The sex ratio of Mizoram was 976 females per 1000 males, which are much above the national average of 940.
School Education in Mizoram
Read about Education in Mizoram
Mizoram has a very long and remarkable history of education as it did not have a script of its own. Despite the initiation of education in Mizoram, 100 years back, today it is the most literate state in the country. The structure of education in the state is based on the national pattern of 10+2+3, consisting of eight years of elementary education, followed by secondary and higher secondary education of two years each. Pre-primary classes range in the age group 3 to 4. The entry age in class 1 is 5 years and above. As per the Directorate of School Education, Govt. of Mizoram, during the year 2010-2011 there were 1821 primary schools, 1353 middle schools, 538 high schools and 98 higher secondary schools both in the government and private sector, with 3,04,159 students and 21,228 teachers. Some of the schools in the state are affiliated to the Mizoram Board of School Education while others are affiliated to other educational boards like CBSE or ICSE. Mizo language is used as a medium of instruction for students from class I to V while English is used for teaching students of higher classes. The ICSE and CBSE schools generally use English as the medium of instruction.
Higher Education in Mizoram
There are two universities in Mizoram. The Directorate of Higher & Technical Education deals with Higher Education from Collegiate level upwards including Science & Technical Education in the State. At present, under the jurisdiction of Higher & Technical Education, there are as many as 8 Govt. Colleges, 12 Deficit Colleges, 5 Private Colleges including 1 Law College and 2 Open University Colleges. There are two Teacher Training Colleges and one of which is of Mizoram Hindi Training College. Altogether, there are 27 Collegiate Institutions under this Department. Proposal for provincialisation of 12 Deficit Colleges is submitted to the Government through Administrative Head of the Department. It also handles 2 polytechnic Institutes. Besides, there are a few other institutions which are managed by the private sector and religious institutions and do not come under the jurisdiction of the Directorate. Due to the paucity of industry and employment opportunities aspirants have to migrate to other cities.
Education in Mizoram – Future
Education in Mizoram is at its pinnacle which reflects from the citizens of the state and its literacy rate, and the day is not far behind when it will attain the status of a complete literate state of the nation.