Kolkata: The first day of the higher secondary examination was held in the state on Saturday with no major incidents being reported. However, in a tragic incident a school teacher who was going to join her duty as an invigilator for the examination died in a road accident in South 24-Parganas.
There are around 6,727 total number of venues this year whereas the number of total centres stands at 998. According to an estimate, nearly around 7.45 lakh candidates might have appeared for the examinations conducted by West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE). The state government had to cancel the higher secondary examination in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid situation.
The HS exam started on Saturday with the students appearing the exam at their own schools leaving behind the shadows of Covid fear. HS exams could not be performed in the state in the past two years due to Covid. HS examinees in the trouble-hit Bagtui village of Birbhum took their exams amidst tight security. Local administration extended all sorts of cooperation to the students in the village.
State government made some special arrangements to safely transport the candidates to the exam centers. Extra buses were deployed by the state transport department.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her twitter handle expressed her best wishes to the HS examinees. She also sought cooperation from all to conduct the entire examination procedure peacefully.
"Heartiest greetings and best wishes to students appearing in Higher Secondary Examination, 2022. Stay focused and calm, you will certainly achieve success. Appeal to all to extend cooperation for smooth conduct of this big exercise," Banerjee tweeted.
Lipika Patowari (47), a resident of Budge Budge who was going to join her duty as an invigilator at Kankhuli Girls High School in Santoshpur died in a road accident.
The incident took place near Nature Park in Brace Bridge. The victim was riding pillion in her husband's scooter when the two wheeler was hit from behind by an unknown vehicle.
The couple fell on the ground when a speeding bus ran her over. The woman died on the spot. Deceased's husband suffered minor injuries in the incident.