The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education on Thursday announced that the theory papers of next year’s school-leaving exams will be held from June 15 to 30 and the practical tests from March 10 to 31.

Council president Mahua Das said details of how the pen-and-paper tests would be held adhering to the physical distancing and other Covid protocols would be worked out later.

The examinees will write their first language papers on June 15. The statistics, geography, costing and taxation, home management and family resource manage-ment papers are scheduled for June 30.

The theory tests will be held from 10am to 1.15pm. “Three hours and 15 minutes are allotted for reading the questions and writing the answers,” said an official of the council.

The Bengal government had on Wednesday accepted a proposal from the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education that next year’s Class XII board exams be deferred to June.

The schools have been asked to send the marks of the practical exams to the HS council by April 20.

“The schools should ensure that the students appear in the practical exams in small batches so physical distancing norms can be observed. Other health protocols will have to be followed as well,” said the official.

Several teachers wondered whether students will be prepared to take their practical exams in March because not a single practical class has been held since the campuses were shut down in March as a precaution against Covid-19.

Several teachers’ organisations have demanded that the schools be reopened for the plus-2 science students to attend practical classes before they appear in the HS exams.

Told about the demand, an official of the council said: “The school education department has to take a call on this.”

Why is there a gap of two-and-a-half months between the practical test dates and those of the theory papers?

Another council official said the theory papers have been scheduled for June because the entire process of the Assembly elections would be spread over April and May.

“Since Madhyamik is likely to be held in the first half of June, the HS exams have been scheduled from June 15,” the official said.