Kolkata: Nearly six weeks into the new academic session, students of Class XII in government-run schools across Bengal are still waiting for their Semester III textbooks. The delay has raised concerns, despite the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) assuring that the books will reach schools by the end of May.
These textbooks, provided free-of-cost by the state government, include Bengali, English and Health & Physical Education. Although classes began in the first week of April, most schools have yet to receive the printed copies.
WBCHSE officials said the books were finalised only in mid-April, with printing and distribution starting shortly thereafter.
For Bengali, two key textbooks — Sahityanushilon and Bangla Bhasha O Sanskriti — have seen around 75 per cent of their total requisition dispatched from the printing press. Of the 7,06,077 copies requested, 5,29,508 and 5,26,785 have been sent out, respectively. However, other subjects have seen slower progress. For example, only 26,719 of the 1,49,412 Health & Physical Education books have been dispatched — just 17 per cent.
While the combined English textbook for Classes XI and XII was distributed last year when the students were in Class XI, WBCHSE has introduced syllabus changes for Class XII. A supplementary English book has been promised to cover the additional content, but schools are yet to receive it.
To ease the situation, WBCHSE had earlier uploaded PDFs of some materials — including Bengali A, Hindi A, and parts of the Health & Physical Education textbook — on its website. However, teachers insist that these are not sufficient. “We are managing with the PDFs but teaching is difficult without hard copies,” said Sabari Bhattacharya, assistant mistress of Bethune Collegiate School. Semester III exams are scheduled from September 8 to 22, 2025, and students must score at least 30 per cent in each language paper to pass — making the delay even more concerning.
A WBCHSE official confirmed that books have begun reaching sub-inspector offices and are expected to arrive in schools by May 31.