KOLKATA: The state government has given its approval to the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education to conduct the Madhyamik and HS examinations in June. The schedules for both will be announced later.
Bengal is heading for the assembly elections in April-May. This has resulted in the postponing of the Board examinations even further.
On Wednesday, education minister Partha Chatterjee said, “It was not possible to hold the exams on time since on-campus classes have remained suspended due to the pandemic. I have assured the officials that once the schedules are announced by the Board and the HS Council, they will be accepted by the state government.”
Several teachers pointed out that the delay will affect the JEE as well. They said that the Class-XI academic year will have to be extended in 2021-2022. “There will be a ripple effect. The Class-XII candidates who appear in the national entrance examinations will remain under pressure because those preparations will have to be done simultaneously. Normally, board examinations are conducted within March, giving the examinees ample time to prepare for other tests,” said a government school headmaster. She pointed out that students will struggle to keep the focus on studies for such a long time.