HS Vocational students in a fix as marksheets, certificates delayed

Kolkata: Thousands of students who cleared the Higher Secondary (Vocational) examinations this year are in a bind, as they are yet to receive the hard copies of their marksheets and certificates, weeks after the results were declared.

The West Bengal State Council of Technical & Vocational Education and Skill Development (WBSCTVESD) declared the results on May 16, recording a pass percentage of 83.26 per cent. While students were able to access soft copies of their marksheets online on the day of the declaration, the physical documents have not yet reached schools. This delay has thrown students’ college admission plans into disarray, particularly for those applying to institutions outside the state, which are insisting on original documents for verification at the time of admission. Many students who secured provisional admission have requested extensions but are worried about missing deadlines.

This year, the exams were conducted from March 3 to 17 across 347 centres, with a total of 27,139 candidates appearing. Of them, 22,597 passed, including 13,188 boys and 9,407 girls. As per the Council’s result publication notification, heads of institutions of Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) were instructed to collect the marksheets and certificates from their respective nodal offices starting May 28, but the process has been delayed. A senior official from the WBSCTVESD admitted to the delay, attributing it to a “technical snag” related to the printing of the mark sheets and certificates. “We expect the marksheets and certificates to reach the schools by the end of this week or early next week,” he said.