Kolkata: The CBSE ’s declaration of exam dates, which the CISCE is likely to follow, has prompted state board students and teachers to anticipate challenges, particularly in preparing for competitive examinations scheduled in April and May.
The CBSE announced that the 2027 board exams for classes 10 and 12 will begin on Feb 16, while in West Bengal dates for Madhyamik and Higher Secondary (HS) will be pushed to March, which is due to the second phase of the census drive.
Aritra Dutta, an HS candidate from a reputed state-run school and an aspirant for JEE-Mains, said, “I will appear for both JEE Mains sessions scheduled for Jan and April. Saugata Basu, general secretary of West Bengal Govt School Teachers’ Association, said, “It is true that a huge number of state teachers and staff will be assigned to census duties compared to those in central government schools. They will not be granted any leeway while competing with students from other boards at national level entrance tests. ” Kinkar Adhikari from Education United Forum said that the association has already sent a representation to the school education department mentioning these issues. Taking a different view, Amit Sen Majumder, headmaster of Jodhpur Park Boys’ School, said, “I feel the extra days will provide students with additional time for preparation, allowing them to cover a syllabus of the final semester.”
My primary concern right now is how to manage both HS and the second phase of JEE Main simultaneously. As government employees, it is our duty to obey official orders, but we must admit that students ultimately suffer from this delay. However, state school education minister Dipak Barman recently assured the media in response to a question that result publications would not be impacted by the delay.
The school education department will give its final approval for the HS examination schedule to commence after March 22, and official dates for both Madhyamik and HS exams are expected to be announced next week, according to sources. The second session of JEE Mains is scheduled to take place from April 2 to April 7. School heads, speaking on condition of anonymity, highlighted that the upcoming fourth-semester HS papers consist of descriptive 40-mark questions, whereas competitive tests follow an entirely different objective pattern.
“I hope the government considers these factors and comes up with a solution very shortly,” a headmaster noted. The prior declaration of the CBSE schedule has left state board examinees stressed, especially those preparing for the entrance tests like JEE-Main.