West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) is yet to make a decision on the postponement or cancellation of Class 12 exams. Even the West Bengal Council of Secondary Education (WBSSE) is yet to reschedule the Madhyamik or Class 10 exams. According to the state education department, authorities are still waiting for the West Bengal government to take a final call. The same was reiterated by Bratya Basu, the education minister of West Bengal. As of now, the Class 12 board exams shall be conducted from June 15, 2021, to July 02, 2021. On the other hand, the WB Madhyamik exams shall begin from June 01, 2021.
President of WBCHSE, Mahua Das, also clarified that the education department is waiting for the government to confirm whether the exams shall be postponed, cancelled, or conducted as per schedule. The health and safety of children are of paramount importance to the government. The decision on HS exams shall be based on the conduction of Class 10 exams. The reason being that Class 10 exams are to be held before the Class 12 boards.
Apart from this, the council also stated that students shall be attending the exams in their own schools. This is unlike last year, when students would appear for exams in other board-assigned schools.
Kalyanmoy Ganguly, president of WBSSE, also commentated on the impending board exams that as of now, he cannot provide any substantial decision to students. However, reports suggest that the education board has been asked to look at alternative ways to evaluate and allot marks to Class 10 students. Such measures are necessary especially due to the pandemic situation.
Various central and state education boards have cancelled or postponed the Class 10 and 12 boards exams due to the rising number of COVID-19 infections. However, few states like Karnataka and West Bengal are yet to take any decision on postponement/cancellation of board exams.
Apart from decisions regarding Class 10 and 12 board exams, the state education department earlier decided to cancel the Class 11 final exams. Such students shall be directly promoted to the next stage. Furthermore, Class 12 board exam timing have been shifted from the morning session to the afternoon session.
Currently, West Bengal is reporting higher number of COVID-19 infections in comparison to some of the other states in India. On Tuesday, May 12, 2021, the state recorded a total of 20,136 fresh coronavirus cases. 132 people succumbed to the virus taking the death toll of West Bengal to 12,593, reported the state health department. Currently, the state is witnessing a gradual surge in cases and officials are waiting for the situation to subside before taking a final call.
