Flood-like conditions force several univs, schools to postpone exams
Kolkata: Due to flood-like conditions in parts of South Bengal, several universities and schools have been forced to postpone their ongoing examinations.
Burdwan University announced on September 18 that the Undergraduate (UG) Semester-IV exams scheduled for September 19 and 20 have been postponed. The university’s notice cited the inundation of several colleges and disrupted road connectivity as the primary reasons for the postponement.
Similarly, Vidyasagar University in West Midnapore has also postponed its UG Semester-IV exams under the CBCS system. In a notice, the university cited “flood-like situations reported from affected colleges and examination centres” as the reason for the delay. The revised schedule indicates that these exams will now take place starting September 25.
Many schools that have been inundated have reached out to the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) for guidance regarding the Semester-I exams for Class XI, which started from September 13. “Those schools were given verbal permission to defer the exams,” said an official of the council. However, no written permission has been issued. Teachers’ associations are now calling for written confirmation from the council. “Since the council has published the routine, we believe a written notice is necessary to confirm that schools unable to conduct Semester-I exams due to flooding will be able to reschedule them once conditions improve,” stated Soudipta Das, Secretary of the Collegium of Assistant Headmasters and Assistant Headmistresses.
The flooding has particularly affected areas in the districts of Howrah, Hooghly, East Midnapore, and West Midnapore, following water releases by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC).
Among the hardest-hit areas are Amta and Udaynarayanpur in Howrah, Pursurah in Hooghly, Ghatal in West Midnapore, and Panskura in East Midnapore. According to a WBCHSE official, numerous schools in these regions are seeking guidance regarding the situation.
