WB HS 2022: Board asks schools to conduct test exams offline by December 31

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has asked all its schools to conduct offline test examinations of 50 marks of each theoretical subject for class XII students by December 31.

The council had previously stated schools would decide if they want to conduct the test examination or not. But, considering the new variant of Coronavirus, WBCHSE changed its decision.

In a circular issued by WBCHSE on November 30, the schools will have the liberty to decide the examination's timing and schedule. Schools have also been instructed to preserve the results and subject-wise marks that Class XII students will obtain in the exam.

Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, president of WBCHSE, said, “Students haven’t been to schools for nearly two years. So, they need to take in-person tests before appearing for offline board exams. Second, we want to be ready for any type of adversity that may arise during an on-campus exam.”

"If it is not possible to conduct the Higher Secondary exams due to the COVID situation or any other reason, then we have the option to assess students based on their test numbers," he added.

After schools resumed on November 16 and students of Classes IX to XII started attending physical classes, many institutes had planned to conduct offline exams from January so that students become accustomed to taking them. Now that the circular for Class XII has been issued, schools will have to bring the exam dates forward. Some schools have already commenced their offline exams fearing mid-December would clash with civic elections.

As per the schedule released by the council, Class XII Board examinations will commence on April 2, 2022. The examination will start with the language paper and conclude with the economics paper on April 20, 2022. Examination will be conducted from 10am to 1.15pm. The council asked schools to conduct all the practical papers between February 15 to March 4, 2022.