Aizawl, Apr 2: About 62.4 per cent students have succeeded in clearing the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC), 2008, a significant increase from last year's 51.46 per cent, the Mizoram Board of School Education (MBSE) announced here today.

However, there was a considerable decline in the number of candidates achieving distinction marks with only 241 candidates passed in distinction this year, compared to 491 last year.

MBSE Controller of Examinations Lalthianghlima told the sources, ''The deline is because we have stopped the practice of adding excess marks from additional subjects to the total marks. The impact is also seen in the first divisioners.'' Altogether 12,209 students, of which 6,275 were female, appeared in the examinations and 1,307 secured first division marks, 2,552 passed in second division and 3,518 in third division.

Aizawl's St Paul's Higher Secondary School excelled in the HSLC exams with seven of its candidates appearing in the top ten merit list.

Annu Sharma, daughter of S K Sharma, ranked first with Letter in all the five compulsory subjects, including additional IT subject.

There were 14 candidates in the merit list, all distintioners, of which eleven were female.

However, as many as 13 schools, including three government schools, were found to be with nil results.

UNI