Students and teachers are supposed to get 12 months or 52 weeks for the two semesters of Class XI and XII in school. However, in reality, students are not getting even six months or 26 weeks for studying across both semesters combined. That means each semester gets roughly three months. As a result, students in arts, science and commerce are facing problems in the second semester of Class XI. The picture is the same across all schools, from renowned institutions in Kolkata to suburban and rural schools.
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Everywhere, most students who scored 30-32 out of 35 in lab-based subjects and 35-38 out of 40 in non-lab subjects in multiple choice questions in the first semester could not even secure passing marks of 10.5 or 12 in the second semester. Consequently, teachers are losing sleep over how these students will pass. In this situation, their anxiety has been further heightened by the directive to start Class XII classes in the fourth week of April.
Teachers raise concerns over preparation time
The Class XI second semester examination ended on February 27. This means even if schools remain open now, students will stay home for two months. However, Assembly Speaker Partha Karmakar demands that Class XI results must be published first, only then can classes begin.
Teachers question when students will prepare for the higher secondary examination in this situation. Assembly elections are approaching in the state. Due to various reasons, many schools will not be able to start classes in April. Summer vacation begins in mid-May. From August 1 to 12, schools will conduct the second summative examination for Classes VI to X. The Class XII first semester examination is in mid-September. In total, students are getting three months. Then from October 15 to November 12, schools have Puja holidays. Again from December 1-11, schools will have the third summative for Classes VI to IX. Christmas and New Year holidays run for eight days from December 25. This leaves only January. The secondary examination is in February.
Headmasters warn of learning gaps
This raises questions from subject teachers and headmasters. Amit Sen Majumdar, headmaster of Jodhpur Park Boys School, says, "Many students who scored 30-32 out of 35 in MCQ questions in Physics and Chemistry in Class XI got stuck in single digits in the second semester. Even if they pass through supplementary exams, they will perform poorly again in Class XII written examinations."
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According to Sanjaykumar Pal, history teacher at Sanskrit Collegiate School, "Time is so limited in Classes XI and XII that we cannot even complete the syllabus in school." Chandan Garai, a teacher from a school in Kamarhati, Hooghly, claims that a student who scored 24 in Education in the first semester got zero in the second semester.
Raja De, headmaster of Bhabanipur Mitra Institution, reports that many students who scored near full marks in MCQ questions in the first semester through hall management are facing problems in the next semester. The situation is the same across arts, commerce and science subjects. According to Saugat Basu, general secretary of West Bengal Government Teachers' Association, "CBSE-ISC examinations are happening on time. But the higher secondary examination has been advanced by a month due to elections. The Assembly has sent Class XI question papers. Nobody—whether schools, the Assembly or the School Education Department—is checking whether students are studying or not."
