Aizawl, February 13 The Mizoram government will introduce a curriculum based on experience in schools to replace rote learning, marking a major shift in the state's educational approach, an official said on Friday.
The government is also planning to introduce standardized annual exams for classes 5 and 8, in which students from various schools will be required to answer uniform questions, the official said.
This move represents a departure from the traditional method of rote memorization and is designed to reform and modernize the state's education system in line with the National Curriculum Framework, 2023, and the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, she said.
State Council of Educational Research and Training Director Caroline Zoramthangi said that new textbooks will be rolled out from the 2026-27 academic session for classes 1, 2, 3, and 6.
The new textbooks have been finalized and are being printed by the state's Printing and Stationery Department to be implemented in the upcoming academic session, she said.
She also said that new textbooks for classes 4, 5, 7, and 8 will be rolled out from the 2027-28 academic year.
Caroline said that the new model will prioritize illustration, drama, and field trips, among other things, over rote memorization to educate students on critical thinking as well as direct experiential learning rather than abstract theory.
"In line with NEP 2020 and NCF 2023, education must be holistic. Instead of merely measuring a child's knowledge level, the focus will shift to physical, emotional, moral, and spiritual development. Learning will be child-centric and enjoyable for students, who will engage in project works," she told news agency PTI.
She said that subjects like Mathematics and Science will be taught in a way that relates directly to their daily lives.
The shift also aims to make the classroom environment more interactive and less burdensome for young learners, she added.
Apart from this curriculum shift, Caroline said that the government will also implement competency-based uniform question papers for students of classes 5 and 8 across 770 state-run and aided schools for standardized assessment.
Results from these exams will be centralized and analyzed by the SCERT to monitor educational standards across the state, she said.
"The education minister aims to achieve quality education through assessment reform and has taken proactive steps in this direction. Questions will now be competency-based, developed entirely in accordance with the NCF 2023," she said.
She said that the shift is expected to improve the state's performance in national-level competitive examinations.
Last month, School Education Minister Vanlalthlana announced that the Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) will cease to follow the traditional way of declaring results of classes 10 and 12 with a merit list (Top-10) or rank, distinction, and division in the result books from the current year.
The move was to prevent high-stakes competition among students through rote memorization and to ensure quality and competency-based education, the minister had said.