Summary
The early arrival of central forces has left many schools in Kolkata and its surroundings worried about the Class XI exams
The state higher secondary council has asked the district inspectors of schools to send a list of government and aided schools that could face difficulty in conducting Class XI written and practical exams following central forces setting up base on the school premises.
The early arrival of central forces has left many schools in Kolkata and its surroundings worried about the Class XI exams.
A council official said about 25 per cent of schools are yet to conduct the exams.
Council president Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya said they need to know whether these schools are encountering any hassle in holding written and practical exams because of the early arrival of central forces.
“It is a fact that the central forces have started arriving earlier than usual for an election season. If it emerges that a certain number of schools are facing difficulty because of this situation, then we might speak to the election commission,” said Bhattacharya.
Usually, the Class XI annual exams are held on the same day as the Higher Secondary exams.
This year, the council left it to the schools to plan the schedule of the annual exams.
HS exams ended on Thursday.
“We have about 7,000 HS schools. Out of which around 25 per cent of schools are yet to conduct their Class XI annual exams. We have to know from the ground level how many of these schools are going to be requisitioned by the central forces, following which the institutions would struggle to hold the exams,” Bhattacharya told Metro.
Metro had earlier reported that a total of 150 companies of forces are set to come to the state in March in two phases in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls.
At least two schools this newspaper spoke to said they were unsure how the Class XI practical exams would be conducted if the central forces set up base on the premises.
The two schools, Dum Dum Shree Aurobindo Vidyamandir and Lake Town Government Sponsored Girls’ High School, have recently been told by Nager Bazar and Lake Town police stations, respectively, that their premises would be used by the central forces.
Srovona Chowdhury, headmistress of the Lake Town school, said: “We are through with the written exams. The practical exams of Class XI are scheduled to start from March 13. The exams will end on March 20. If the central forces take possession of the school buildings now, we are worried about how the exams could be held. After all, ours is a girls’ school.”
“I have requested the police personnel who came to the school to see to it that the school building is not immediately requisitioned. However, I don’t think the police can do much about it,” she said.
Ashim Nanda, headmaster of the school in Dum Dum, said: “The local police station has informed us that the central forces could enter the school any time. Our Class XI practical classes will start from Tuesday and continue till March 15. I don’t know if the central forces enter in between how the exams will be held or completed. Central forces usually block the entry and exit of the school.”
“Even the teachers cannot enter during the stay of the force,” he said.
Not only the exams but also the classes of those who will write the HS exams next year are likely to be disrupted.
“We will soon issue a notice so that the schools hold online classes to deal with the situation,” said council president Bhattacharya.
Last updated on 05 Mar 2024
