24 April 2026 — Rachel Biak Ṭha Par, a student of Chin heritage, has secured the top position in the Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) Examination 2026.
The results, released on 23 April, confirmed that Rachel topped the state with an impressive score of 480 out of a maximum 500 marks, achieving distinctions in all subjects. She attended St. Joseph Higher Secondary School in Ramhlun North, Aizawl.
Rachel’s achievement is being celebrated widely and highlights the academic success of students from the Chin community in the region. Her father, Mr. Salai Chan Uk Khenglawt, originally hails from Hakha, Chin State, in neighboring Myanmar. He migrated to Mizoram in the 1980s and is a retired school headmaster; the family is reported to be well-integrated into the local community in East Lungdar village, Serchhip district.
The success comes at a time when Mizoram shares a deep ethnic and cultural connection with the Chin people, and currently hosts many who have fled the escalating conflict in Myanmar’s Chin State.
Chin State has been marked by intense violence since the military coup in 2021, with reports of heavy aerial bombardments, drone strikes, and ongoing clashes between the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) and local resistance forces in recent months.
This ongoing instability has led to continued internal displacement and people seeking refuge across the border into India.
Rachel’s academic feat serves as a poignant reminder of the community’s resilience and determination to pursue education amidst the turmoil affecting their ancestral homeland. – Reporting by Ben
