Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has introduced a supplementary examination system for Class XI Semester II students, an option previously unavailable.
Though intended as a student-friendly measure to reduce year loss, its sudden, post-facto implementation from the 2024–25 academic session has drawn criticism from the teaching community.
Under the revised examination regulation, students failing in one or more subjects in Semester II will now be eligible to appear for supplementary exams within a month of the Semester II examinations to clear the corresponding backlog paper(s). This is in addition to the existing provision that allows students who fail in Semester I to appear for supplementary exams alongside the Semester II exams in the same academic year.
Both supplementary exams are to be conducted by the respective institutions. Clause 8.(1)(ii) states that students unable to clear their backlogs after these attempts must repeat both semesters of Class XI in the next academic year.
In a notification issued on Friday, WBCHSE president Chiranjib Bhattacharya declared that the amended regulation would take effect post-facto for the current academic year “as a special case”, instructing all heads of institutions to act on it immediately.
The last-minute directive has unsettled school authorities, who point out that re-admissions of failed Class XI students for 2024–25 were completed weeks ago. Teachers say the move could disrupt academic planning, especially with Class XII Semester III exams beginning on September 8.
“The initiative is welcome in principle, but why so late? Results are submitted, and re-admissions are done,” said Soudipta Das, secretary of the Collegium of Assistant Headmasters and Assistant Headmistresses. “Implementing this post-facto provision for 2024–25 students will create administrative chaos,” Das said.
Many teachers also questioned the timeline, fearing that students who clear Semester II backlogs may not have enough time to prepare for the Semester III exam.
Millennium Post had first reported on June 10 that the Council was considering introducing supplementary exams for Semester II.