HS Council reverts to existing pattern for 2020

Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has decided to revert to the existing pattern of Higher Secondary examination shelving its decision to have Question cum Answer Booklet.

Mahua Das, president of WBCHSE, issued a notification on Thursday making it clear that the Higher Secondary examinations for 2020 will be held in the existing pattern and there will be no procedural changes. "Some teachers' organisations in the state had written to us that they are not prepared to deal with this change in pattern in the present circumstances. The matter was discussed with the Higher Education department and following their directions we have announced that we will not introduce the QCAB pattern from the next HS examination scheduled to start from March 12, 2020," said a senior official of the WBCHSE.

It may be mentioned that it was only in September when the Council had brought out a notification that examinations in 2020 will be held in QCAB with the aim to ensure security and confidentiality of the questions. The notification also stated the number of words that students needed to write in the QCAB as per the marks allotted for questions. For example, 80 words for a four-mark question, 100 words for a five-mark question, 120 words for a six-marks question to mention a few.

The pattern of having questions and answers in a single sheet is followed in competitive examinations at the regional and national levels.