Madhyamik 2026 kicks off smoothly; held in 22,682 centres across Bengal

Kolkata: The Madhyamik Examination 2026 began across West Bengal on Monday with the first language paper, with the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) reporting largely smooth conduct across 2,682 examination centres.

A total of 9,71,340 candidates are enrolled this year, including 5,44,606 females, 4,26,733 males and one transgender examinee. Entry to examination centres was allowed only after verification of original admit cards and registration certificates. Mobile phones, smart watches, calculators and other electronic devices were banned, while transparent water bottles without stickers were permitted.

WBBSE president Ramanuj Ganguly said no major untoward incidents were reported during the examination. He added that adequate numbers of teachers were available for examination duties despite their involvement in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

However, a few isolated irregularities were reported from different districts. In Bankura, a female candidate from Deopara Champamoni High School was caught with a mobile phone around 90 minutes into the examination at Gopinathpur Sarojbasini High School. Her examination has been cancelled and she will not be allowed to appear in any remaining papers. In West Medinipur, a candidate carrying a fake admit card was stopped at Southside High School in Kharagpur. At Rampurhat Dr S M Vidyayatan in Birbhum, two candidates were reported for tearing pages from their answer scripts and stapling them back.

Twenty-one candidates appeared for the examination from hospitals and three from sick rooms.

An accident involving a vehicle carrying question papers was reported in South 24-Parganas while it was travelling from Basanti police station to an examination centre.

However, all question papers were recovered from the damaged vehicle and delivered to the centre under alternative security arrangements. Ganguly said the examination began on time and the question papers arrived securely.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended her wishes to candidates in a post on X, while state education minister Bratya Basu advised students to appear for their first major public examination with a calm mind, assuring all support.

Outside examination centres, many students were seen revising till the last moment. In the Bengali paper, a majority of candidates chose the composition on “Safe Drive, Save Life”, which required a dialogue between friends on careful driving, while the essay on Banglar Utsab (Festivals of Bengal) was also a popular option. In Kolkata, police personnel greeted candidates with roses and pens at several centres. Newly appointed Kolkata Police Commissioner Supratim Sarkar visited examination venues and wished examinees.