Aizawl: Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Thursday announced that the main campus of the proposed state university will be set up in Lunglei, reversing the government’s earlier decision to establish it in Aizawl, according to an official statement.
Addressing a meeting of the Lunglei High Powered Committee (HPC) in the southern town, the chief minister said the change was made to honour the aspirations of the people of Lunglei and other southern districts. Lunglei is the second-largest town in Mizoram after Aizawl.
He said the Mizoram State University Bill was passed by the state assembly in March, and the main campus was originally planned to be set up in Aizawl.
“As we respect the aspirations of the people of Lunglei and other southern districts, who wish that the proposed state university’s centre be established in Lunglei, we decided to install the same in the southern town even if amendment of the law is required,” Lalduhoma said.
The Mizoram State University Bill, 2025, was passed by the state assembly on March 4 to establish a teaching-intensive university that would take over the affiliation of colleges in the state within 15 years, as mandated by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
State Higher and Technical Education Minister Vanlalthlana, who introduced the bill, said the proposed state university would follow a cluster model, bringing various colleges and institutions under a single framework.
He had said that the lone Mizoram University (MZU), which is a central university, will automatically be converted into a research-intensive university by 2035, and no more affiliation could be done by the existing 21 colleges in the state as per the NEP.
According to the minister, the NEP recommends two categories of institutions — autonomous degree-granting colleges and constituent colleges of a university. However, only three of the 21 colleges in Mizoram currently qualify for autonomous status, meaning the remaining institutions would need to seek affiliation from universities outside the state, which he said would be an embarrassment for Mizoram.
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He said a teaching-intensive state university was essential to continue granting affiliation to the existing colleges in Mizoram. Once established, the university would also help improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher and vocational education and meet the needs of students pursuing postgraduate studies, he added.
