HS Sem III: 16 concessions for spl needs candidates listed
Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced 16 concessions for Children with Special Needs (CWSN) who will appear in the Semester III Higher Secondary examinations, scheduled from September 8 to 22.
The number of concessions has come down from 18 under the earlier annual system. The key change is a ban on calculators, including talking calculators for visually impaired candidates, in both theory and practical papers.
The restriction has been in force since the Class XI Semester I and II examinations in 2024–25, when the semester system was introduced.
CWSN candidates will receive additional time on a pro-rata basis, 20 minutes for every hour of examination. Accordingly, candidates will get 25 minutes extra for papers of one hour and 15 minutes and 15 minutes extra for papers of 45 minutes. Visually impaired students will be allowed to use magnifying glasses and sketch pens, while verbal instructions must be written on the blackboard. Candidates with colour blindness will be supported through colour-naming provisions.
Other concessions include the use of assistive devices, sign language interpreters and the option of a reader instead of a scribe. Candidates may also write examinations in hospitals under supervision, while caregivers will be permitted inside the examination hall. Students unable to meet the attendance requirement will be granted up to 20 percent relaxation. There is no upper age limit for appearing in the examinations.
Special seating arrangements such as separate rooms, chairs, and tables will be made for students with physical impairments or spastic conditions.
A total of 342 CWSN candidates have applied to take the examination with Council-approved facilities. Of these, 212 have opted for a writer with extra time, 122 for extra time only, and 8 for an interpreter with extra time.
Separately, WBCHSE has allowed subject teachers to be engaged in invigilation, except in rooms where their own subject examination is being conducted.
