Kolkata: The state School Education Department has decided to introduce Class V in 2,338 additional primary schools from the academic year 2026, as part of its phased plan to align primary education with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
A notification issued on Thursday directed the District Primary School Councils, including the Kolkata and Siliguri councils, to take necessary steps for implementation. The list of schools identified for upgradation has been enclosed with the notification.
Bengal has around 50,000 primary schools. The process of integrating Class V into the primary stage began in 2019, with 17,996 schools covered by early 2020.
The remaining 32,169 schools are being brought under the fold in phases.
The state government informed the Calcutta High Court in July 2024, during the hearing of a public interest litigation, that the integration would be completed in five phases by 2029.
In line with that roadmap, Class V was introduced in 2,335 schools in 2025. For 2026, the department initially planned to upgrade 1,775 schools, but later revised the figure to 2,338 after districts reported additional schools meeting infrastructure norms, including the requirement of at least five classrooms.
Under the phased plan, 2,966 schools are proposed to be covered in the third phase, followed by about 12,000 schools in the fourth phase and 13,093 schools
in the final phase.