With only 10 days left for the Higher Secondary final examinations, anxiety among students is rising. Regular classes are barely being held, yet large portions of the syllabus are still incomplete. Apart from compulsory subjects like Bengali and English, many papers across Arts, Science and Commerce remain unfinished.
This situation is not limited to one region-it is the same in well-known Kolkata schools like Hindu, Hare, Jadavpur Vidyapith and Sanskrit Collegiate, as well as schools in Malda, Murshidabad, Coochbehar and Purulia. Even the Higher Secondary Education Council is unsure how the remaining syllabus can be completed in such a short time.
Several factors from the academic calendar have led to this problem. Last year, Puja holidays began on September 25, just two days after the third semester examinations ended on September 22. Schools reopened only on October 25. Soon after, from November 3 to 13, secondary test examinations were held, again disrupting regular classes.
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This was followed by the third summative examinations for Classes VI to IX between December 1 and 10. Adding to this, there were consecutive holidays from December 25 through January, further reducing teaching days.
As a result, classroom teaching has been repeatedly interrupted, leaving both teachers and students under pressure as the final examinations draw closer.
Yet the Higher Secondary Education Council had set hour-wise class timings for studies across four semesters in classes eleven and twelve. Subject-wise study hours for topics were specified, from which semester examination marks allocation and other details were determined. None of this has progressed.
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Regarding this, Council President Chiranjib Bhattacharjee says, "All students will suffer losses. However, we issued notifications for online classes from after Lakshmi Puja until before Kali Puja. We have also uploaded around 400 tutorial videos on various subjects and topics on YouTube."
Teachers raise concerns
This is the first year of Higher Secondary under the semester system. How much can students really learn by watching these videos? Moreover, the Higher Secondary examinations have been advanced by about a month this year due to elections.
Avantika Adhikari, Bengali teacher at Jadavpur Vidyapith, says, "I teach the history of literature and culture. It's a vast syllabus. Time has passed, just trying to create interest among students. The syllabus remains incomplete."
Sanjay Pal, history teacher at Sanskrit Collegiate School, states, "The examination has been advanced by a month; completing the syllabus is impossible."
Sougata Basu, General Secretary of the West Bengal Government School Teachers' Association, says, "The HS third semester examination was conducted with OMR sheets. Now in the fourth semester, answering descriptive questions will be difficult for them."
