The Chief Minister’s Meritorious Students Fellowship (CMMSF) for the top 50 students of the HSLC Examination 2025, conducted by the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE), was held at the State Banquet Hall, Chief Minister’s Residential Complex, Kohima, on Wednesday.
Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio congratulated the top-ranking students and described the event as a moment of pride and celebration. “Your unwavering commitment, hard work, and determination have made your families, schools, and our State immensely proud,” he said, addressing the students. He called them the “torchbearers of tomorrow” and urged them to strive for continued excellence, both academically and in life.
While acknowledging the steady improvement in Nagaland’s board exam pass percentages, the Chief Minister cautioned against complacency and called for sustained efforts to improve the quality of education. He also emphasized the importance of discipline, moral values, and resilience in facing future challenges.
Rio highlighted a key concern regarding the growing number of educated yet unemployable youth. “The Government sector has reached saturation and cannot absorb all the educated unemployed,” he stated, urging a shift in mindset toward skill development and entrepreneurship. He encouraged students to consider entrepreneurial paths as viable and rewarding careers and cited the Government of India’s various skilling initiatives.
He noted that the Department of School Education in Nagaland has introduced nine vocational subjects at the secondary level and eight at the higher secondary level. “Education integrated with skill development is the need of the hour,” he asserted.
Rio also stressed the need to re-orient the education system to foster not just academic excellence but also life skills, critical thinking, adaptability, and creativity. “We must equip our students to become competent, productive, and responsible global citizens,” he said.
Earlier, NBSE Secretary and Chairperson (Addl. Charge), Rangumbuing Nsarangbe, delivered the introductory address and expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for instituting the CMMSF. He noted that the fellowship has become one of the most prestigious academic recognitions in the state, significantly motivating students to excel.
The CMMSF was instituted in 2019, with the first awards presented in January 2020. The fellowship is granted to the top 50 HSLC students based on rank and merit. Only students belonging to Indigenous Scheduled Tribes of Nagaland are eligible. In cases where multiple students share the same rank or marks, flexibility is applied to ensure inclusion of all those tied in merit, resulting in slight variations in the number of awardees.
Each selected student receives a cash award and a citation certificate in the first year. The fellowship runs for five years, subject to the students maintaining a minimum academic performance of 80% annually. Failure to meet the criteria leads to discontinuation of the fellowship.
The program concluded with the Chief Minister personally presenting awards and certificates to the meritorious students.