The Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) was born on 23rd December 1976 as conceived in the Mizoram Board of School Education Act 1975 enacted by the State Legislature of Mizoram. Prior to the inception of the Mizoram Board, the academic and examination jurisdiction of the Board of Secondary Education of Assam extended over Mizoram also and th_ High School Leaving Certificate Examination at the end of class X in Mizoram used to be conducted by the Assam Board. Since 23rd December 1976, the whole responsibility of prescribing curricula and text books and of conducting public examinations for the primary (Classes I-IV), Middle (Classes V-VII) and the Secondary (Classes VIII-X) stages of school education devolved on the MBSE. The Higher Secondary (Classes XI & XII) stage also came within the ambit ofthe MBSE since 1996.
Governance of the Board
The Board is governed by a Governing Body which consists of the following:
1) The President of the Board
2) The Secretary of the Board
3) Fourteen (14) ex-officio members of the Board
4) Eleven (11) members of the Board nominated by the State Government. The President and the Secretary ofthe Board are the Chairman and the Member-Secretary of the Governing Body. The Board has also the following statutory committees to assist it in carrying out its statutory duties and responsibilities.
a) Finance Committee
b) Examination Committee
c) Selection Committee
d) Recognition Committee
e) Syllabus and Textbook Committee
f) Appeal Committee.
The Controlling Authority of the Board is the Secretary to the Government of Mizoram, Education and Human Resource Development Department, Mizorarm.
Finance of the Board
The Board is assisted financially by the State Government in the form of grant-in-aid under non-plan and plan schemes. During 2001,- 2002 fiscal year, tm: Government allotted fimds to the Board to the tune ofRs. 113.00 lalills. Besides, the Board also raises its own revenues from public examination fees, fees from registration of candidates, miscellaneous fees charged for duplicate certificates, duplicate marksheets, provisional certificates and migration celiificates.
The Board maintains two kinds of funds : Reserve Fund and Operational Fund. The bank interest earned on the Reserve Fund maintained in the State Bank oflndia is periodically transferred to the Operational Fw1d.
AutonomySince the Board has to lean heavily on the financial assistance given by the State Government, it does not enjoy financial autonomy but it does enjoy functional autonomy to a comfortable extent. Speaking of the State's financial assistance, it is not fully devoid of the usual subtle fonTIs of strings attached.
Roles and FunctionsThe Mizoram Board of School Education conducts public examination at the end of Classes IV,VII, X and XII. Besides, it also conducts Proficiency Certificate Examination in vocational trades at the end of 12 year schooling for vocational stream students. The Board also conducts Diploma in Teacher Education examinations for Primary and Middle school teachers.
The other functions of the Board are:
- to prescribe courses of institution including practice teaching, practical work and the like, where necessary, for Pre-Primary, Primary, Middle, High and Higher Secondary schools and professional or vocational schools and under-graduate teachers' training institutes;
- to institute and award scholarships, prizes and the like;
- to prescribe, prepare, publish and select text-books and supplementary books or to cause to prepare or publish selected textbooks for any of its prescribed courses for its various examinations;
- to recognise Higher Secondary, High, Middle, Primary, Pre-Primary schools, under-graduate teachers' training institutions and professional and vocational schools in Mizoram and to withdraw such recognition on grounds considered reasonable by the Board;
- to adopt measures to study and examination of problems in the field of education, under-graduate teacher training courses and professional and vocational schools;
- to advise government on physical, moral and social welfare of students in recognised institutions and to prescribe conditions for their residence and discipline;
- to prescribe necessary qualifications of teachers in recognized schools, under-graduate teachers' institutions and professional and vocational schools;
- to organi06e seminars and provide in-service training courses; .
- to advise government on re-organisation and development of school education, under-graduate teachers' training courses and professional and vocational school courses;
- to cause inspection, to be made by such person or persons as the Board may nominate, of unrecognised institutions applying for recognition, as also of any of its recognised institutions if and as considered necessary.
ProblemsThe problem that the Mizoram Board of School Education currently faces is that of finance. Adequate funds are not available to take up various developmental works such as training of teachers, holding workshops, seminars and symposia. The employees' welfare measures also suffer setback due to lack of adequate funds. The Board also sulks back from adopting the modern mantra- application of information technology -- in management of its public examinations due to paucity of fund.
Future PlansThe Mizoram Board of School Education plans to continue with the examination reform programmes. Grading and scaling are being debated and the introduction of continuous and comprehensive evaluation of pupils particularly at the elementary stage (Classes I to VIII) and elimination of public examinations at the end of Classes IV and VII are being contemplated. Partial computerisation of the process of examination has already been initiated and the computerisation is planned, finance permitting, to encompass the entire gamut of examination processes progressively.
Curriculum renewal to cover the 10-year schooling has already been initiated and has made substantial progress.
Opening of the regional office at Lunglei, some 235 kilometres south of the capital city of Aizawl, to give better attention to the less developed southern areas of Mizoram was planned some years back but was shelved due to one reason or another. It is felt that the issue should be re-activated to give the plan a concrete shape.
Future PlansThe Mizoram Board of School Education plans to continue with the examination reform programmes. Grading and scaling are being debated and the introduction of continuous and comprehensive evaluation of pupils particularly at the elementary stage (Classes I to VIII) and elimination of public examinations at the end of Classes IV and VII are being contemplated. Partial computerisation of the process of examination has already been initiated and the computerisation is planned, finance permitting, to encompass the entire gamut of examination processes progressively.
Curriculum renewal to cover the 10-year schooling has already been initiated and has made substantial progress.
Opening of the regional office at Lunglei, some 235 kilometres south of the capital city of Aizawl, to give better attention to the less developed southern areas of Mizoram was planned some years back but was shelved due to one reason or another. It is felt that the issue should be re-activated to give the plan a concrete shape.