The state government has asked the president and secretary of the state higher secondary council, who were terminated along with administrators of other education bodies on Monday, to continue in their roles until the publication of the board results on May 14.

Partha Karmakar, president of the council, and Priyadarshini Mallick, its secretary — both appointed during the tenure of the Mamata Banerjee government — are scheduled to announce the results of the first-ever semesterised HS exams on Thursday.

This is what has been suggested by the state education department, a council official said.

An education department official said that the outgoing president and secretary have already signed the pass certificates of students who have cleared the school-leaving examinations.

The signed pass certificates are distributed with the mark sheets.

“It is not possible for their successors, who are yet to be appointed, to put their signatures on the pass certificates of nearly six lakh examinees by Thursday. So, Partha Karmakar and Priyadarshini Mallick have been asked to continue till the publication of Plus II results,” the official said.

Hours after the order for their “immediate termination” was issued on Monday afternoon, the two office-bearers wrote to the education department seeking clarification on whether they should leave office or continue till the publication of the results.

Late on Monday, the department told both of them to continue until the results are out.

The nominated presidents and chairpersons of education boards, including the state secondary education board (Madhyamik Shiksha Parsad), and recruitment bodies such as the school service commission, submitted their resignations on Tuesday evening, hours after the state government “immediately terminated” their tenures.

The results of Madhyamik were declared on May 8.

An education department official said a process has been initiated to find those who will lead the council following the termination.

Priyadarshini Mallick, an assistant professor at Asutosh College, was appointed as the secretary of the council in August 2023. Partha Karmakar, from the West Bengal Education Service, was appointed the council president after the HS theory papers examinations ended in February.

“We believe their experience will be needed while presenting the facts and figures during the publication of the results. It would not be possible for newcomers to handle the situation on such a crucial day,” an official said.