Kolkata: Girls have outnumbered boys in this year’s Madhyamik examinations conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), with a steady improvement in their pass rate as well over the past two years. Of the 9,69,426 candidates who appeared, 5,43,544 were girls, 1,17,663 more than boys (4,25,881).
This represents a 27.63 per cent higher female participation rate, surpassing last year’s 25.95 per cent. The trend held across all districts, including among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates, where girls also outnumbered boys. WBBSE president Ramanuj Ganguly said: “The significant rise in the number of female candidates continues.
The urge not only to send girl children to school across all sections of society, but also to ensure they continue their studies at least up to the secondary level, has now taken deep root in the mind and culture of Bengal.”
While boys still lead in pass percentage, 89.19 per cent compared to girls’ 84.39 per cent, the gap is narrowing. Girls improved from 83.90 per cent last year and 83.05 per cent in 2023.
In comparison, boys’ performance dipped slightly from 89.21 per cent in 2024 and 89.76 per cent in 2023.
Among 9,13,883 regular candidates, 7,91,088 passed, bringing the overall pass percentage to 86.56 per cent. Of these, 4,22,766 were girls and 3,68,322 were boys, a difference of 54,444 in favour of girls. However, the failure rate was higher among girls (15.41 per cent) compared to boys (10.57 per cent), resulting in a failure ratio of 36:64.
Despite the higher participation, only 12 girls featured among the top 66 in the merit list. Ganguly said merit list proportions fluctuate yearly and do not fully reflect broader trends. “With more girls appearing, the number of unsuccessful candidates among them naturally increases. But the broader progress is undeniable.”