Students declared failed in Bengal higher secondary examination hold protests

KOLKATA: Several Class 12 students who have been declared failed by the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE)blocked roads and ransacked furniture of a school during protests across the state on Saturday.

Of the 8,19,202 candidates, 97.69 per cent have passed this year.

The agitating students said with no exams having taken place this year due to the COVID-19 situation, they were baffled by the evaluation process.

They wondered how some examinees were declared as having passed while some others were declared unsuccessful.

An evaluation method had been worked out this year based on marks obtained by an examinee in the Madhyamik (class 10 examination) and class 11 annual test.

Some of the agitators even proceeded to the residence of Education Minister Bratya Basu but were dissuaded by the police, an officer said.

An official of the WBCHSE said its president Mahua Das was holding talks with the heads of several schools on the issue.

Officials said, irate students of Inda Krishnalal Sikshaniketan in Paschim Medinipur district barged into the classrooms of their educational institute and damaged furniture demanding they be declared as passed.

Protests were held at Hariharpara in Murshidabad district where the unsuccessful candidates of nearby Saratpur Bidyalaya burnt tyres in the middle of a road during a road blockade.

Unsuccessful candidates also blocked roads at Habibpur in Malda district, and at Madhyamgram Chowmatha in North 24 Parganas district on similar grounds.

"Since there was no examination this year, we should be declared as passed. Or everyone must be declared as failed," a protesting girl student was heard screaming in Madhyamgram.

The students, with their guardians, also demonstrated in the Barisha area of the city and near the office of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education in the Salt Lake area.

Some of the agitators even proceeded to the residence of Education Minister Bratya Basu but were dissuaded by the police, an officer said.

An official of the WBCHSE said its president Mahua Das was holding talks with the heads of several schools on the issue.

Giving a twist to the issue, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh told reporters "It appears the result this year was aimed to placate members of one community. Otherwise, why should grades be announced when there were no exams due to the pandemic."

Earlier this week, the West Bengal Board class 10 exam result was declared with a record 100 per cent pass percentage.