The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education on Wednesday advised parents to verify whether a school is affiliated to the board or not before admitting their wards in it.

This would ensure that the students don’t face problems in appearing for Madhyamik, according to the board officials.

The warning comes in the wake of trouble in a Kidderpore school, after 23 students discovered that they would not be able to take the examination, slated to begin on Friday, as their school is not affiliated to the board.

Sixty-seven students of Kidderpore Arya Vidyalaya were to appear for Madhyamik 2008. Since the school is not recognised by the board, it illegally ties up with affiliated institutions to enable the students to appear in Madhyamik as their candidates.

The 23 students were told on Tuesday that they would not be issued admit cards for the examination, though the school had charged a hefty amount from them for the purpose. The remaining students could not be identified. The guardians of the 23 students held a demonstration in front of the school.

“The incident is unfortunate but we are helpless. The students are not enrolled with us and so the board cannot allow them to write the exam. Students and parents should be cautious about unrecognised schools,” said Swapan Sarkar, the secretary of the board.

He said the board had completed the process of issuing admit cards to the Madhyamik candidates from its affiliated schools.