Examinees approach Calcutta HC over change of secondary exam timings in Bengal

Kolkata, Jan 24 (IANS) Parents of a group of candidates appearing for the secondary examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Examination (WBBSE) approached the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday seeking a stay on the decision to prepone the starting time of the examination by two hours.

The single-judge Bench of Justice Biswajit Basu observed that the hearing in the matter would only be possible when all stakeholders were made party to the case. There is a possibility of the hearing taking place on Thursday.

The secondary examinations are scheduled to be held from February 2. Recently, the WBBSE issued a notification preponing the starting time of the examination to 9.45 am from 11.45 p.m earlier.

Simultaneously, the West Bengal Council of High Secondary Examination (WBCHSE) also issued a notification on preponing the starting time of higher secondary examinations by two hours to 9.45 a.m. from the earlier 11.45 p.m.

The decision attracted strong criticism from the two leading teachers’ association in West Bengal namely All Bengal Teachers' Association (ABTA) and Secondary Teaching and Non-teaching Staff Samiti, who claimed that the decision to prepone the examination by two hours will cause immense inconvenience to the examinees as well as those associated with the process of conducting the examinations at different centres.

They argued that early arrival to the examination centres might be extremely difficult especially in certain remote pockets both in North Bengal as well as in the forest areas scattered over the South Bengal districts of Bankura, Purulia, West Midnapore and Jhargram.

The associations’ office-bearers also expressed the apprehension that some examinees might even face a year’s loss due to late arrival at the examination centres.

The Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, too, has described the decision to prepone the examination time as an “insane” move.