Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has issued a directive to all affiliated schools, instructing them not to grant any child care leave (CCL) or other types of leave to teaching and non-teaching staff during the upcoming Higher Secondary (HS) examinations, unless in cases of extreme medical urgency.
The HS examinations are set to begin on March 3 and will run until March 18.
In a notification issued on Wednesday, the Council provided clear guidelines regarding leave approval during this period.
As per the notification, any leave requests due to medical emergencies, including hospitalisation, surgeries, or maternity leave, must be submitted through the managing committee to the relevant regional office of the Council for approval.
The policy also allows leave for teaching and non-teaching staff if their children are appearing for any Class X or XII board examinations.
In cases where both parents are employed in government or semi-government roles, either parent may take leave, provided they submit a necessary undertaking along with the application.
Furthermore, if a teacher or non-teaching staff member’s child is appearing for the 2025 HS Examination but the staff member does not take leave, either by choice or because their spouse has already taken leave for the same purpose, they will be allowed to perform examination duties. However, they will be excluded from tasks such as handling the strong room, opening and distributing question papers, and invigilating the exam hall.