The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education’s decision to change the timing of the Madhyamik exam from noon to morning has sparked protests in Darjeeling hills and plains.

Teachers, guardians and activists maintain that the decision to change the secondary board exam timing from noon to 9.45am will cause students of the region practical discomfort in cold weather, including paucity of transport.

The change in timing for the exam, scheduled to start on February 2, was notified on January 18.

Sources said that the All Bengal Teachers’ Association (ABTA) tried to submit a memorandum to the president of the North Bengal Regional Office of the West Bengal Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad on this issue but "wasn't allowed to".

Bidyut Rajguru, the Darjeeling district secretary of ABTA, said if the exam starts at 9.45am, many examinees will have to leave home at 7am for exam centres. “This will mean that many children from hilly and remote will have to start very early in cold weather to reach the exam venue on time. This will cause them stress just before the exam,” said Rajguru.

The ABTA wants the exam to start from 10.45am. “We tried to submit a memorandum to the regional office but we were not allowed to,” Rajguru alleged.

In the hills, many have been demanding that the examination should not be held in February but later in the month because of the cold weather that prevails in the area. The morning timing has come as a double whammy.

Kundan Mukhia, spokesperson of Concerned Youth of Hills (CYH), an apolitical organisation, on Wednesday said he reached Calcutta to file a public interest litigation against the state government's decision.

“We will try to submit our application to the education department by Saturday. The process of collecting question papers and taking them to the centre has been ordered to start from 6am. But the February temperature of the hills is not suitable for work this early,” he said.

Mukhia added that because of the low morning temperatures in winter, very few vehicles move at that time.

“The minimum temperature in the hills drops to zero degree Celsius. It will be difficult for children to write their papers in the cold. The state authorities should have been considerate,” said Mukhia.

Dambar Prasad Shiwakoti, the vice-president ABTA (Darjeeling district) echoed Mukhia’s concern. Other board examinations like ICSE and CBSE are held from mid-February, he said.

“The Bengal board has brought forward exam dates by 21 days this year. Moreover, candidates are advised to reach the venue 45 minutes before the start of the exam,” said Shiwakoti.

S.P. Sharma, the chief public relations officer of the GTA, said it would not be possible to change the examination time at the last minute. “We will ensure there are sufficient vehicles on the road so that Madhyamik examinees face no transport problem in the hills. Several meetings have been held in the hills regarding the exam. Arrangements are being made to provide heaters at exam centres in remote areas,” he said.