Some government and government-aided schools are holding a final round of remedial classes for students who will write the higher secondary exams next month.
Teachers think these students are not yet ready for their first board exams. The students of the current HS batch did not get an opportunity to write their Class X boards two years ago because of Covid.
Like in the pre-pandemic times, the school-leaving exams will be based on the entire syllabi and held at away centres.
Teachers said assessment of scripts in the rehearsal exams revealed that some students were unwilling to write long paragraphs and struggling to construct sentences or write answers to the point.
Anxiety about appearing in the first board exam of their life is also affecting the performance of some.
Through the last round of remedial classes, teachers are trying to boost confidence of the students and bridge the learning gap.
The teacher-in-charge of Sanskrit Collegiate School said learning gaps include inability to spell words and write proper definitions in science subjects. The central Kolkata school held rehearsal exams twice to assess whether the students were prepared to write the board exams.
“In-person classes could be held only from February 2022, when campuses reopened after two years (of Covid-induced closure). Before that only online classes were held. Online classes have their limitations,” said teacher-incharge Arunava Adak.
Saugata Basu, general secretary of the Government School Teachers’ Association, said the 57-day summer break the state government announced last year because of heatwave-like conditions did not help matters because it was done at the cost of in-person classes.
The summer break usually continues for a fortnight.
Supriya Panja, headmaster of The Park Institution in north Kolkata, said they would hold remedial classes from Thursday in English, history, political science and education.
“In English, the problem of sentence formation persists. Some are struggling to write long paragraphs. Concepts are not entirely clear. The deficiency is reflected across classes,” said Panja.
A teacher of a school in south Kolkata said students were concerned because they would have to write exams based on the entire syllabus and at away centres.
Keeping the effect of the pandemic in mind, the authorities had last year held the exams on a truncated syllabus and allowed the examinees to write their papers at their respective schools.
“Special classes are the best option to boost confidence and rid students of their fears,” a teacher said.