'Failed' students stage sit-in protest, demand promotion to new class
Kolkata: The authorities of Bethune Collegiate School made it clear on Tuesday that students, who had secured less than pass marks in the Class XI annual examination, will not be promoted to Class XII. A number of students agitated on Monday demanding promotion by pressuring the management to promote them to the next standard. The authorities claimed that most of the students had scored less than 10 percent in the examination.
Some of the students, who failed the examination, were accompanied by their guardians to stage a sit-in demonstration in front of headmistress Saswati Adhikary's room on Monday. They also hurled abuses at some of the teachers and threatened to commit suicide if they are not promoted.
"This is a social degradation. The parents are pushing their wards to become doctors or engineers without understanding the fact that every student does not possess the same merit and skill. This has resulted in such chaos in a school like Bethune which is known for its academic excellence," a senior teacher of the school said.
Nearly 25 percent of the students in the school are first generation learners and they have sought admission in the school through lottery system. This system is prevalent in all state schools.
The agitating students along with their guardians sought intervention from the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Examination and complained that the schoolteachers have given less marks than their wards deserved.
The council, however, made it clear that the schools have been given free hand when it comes to promotion.
It may be mentioned that 119 girls had appeared for the annual examination combining arts and science stream. Out of them, 18 students have failed in two or three subjects. There are even some cases when students have secured 1, 2 and 3 marks in written tests.