Thirty academically poor Class XII students of a government-aided school in North 24-Parganas surrendered their smartphones on Friday morning at the directive of the headmaster so that they could focus on their studies for the next three months ahead of the public exams in March.

But within hours, the headmaster was forced to reverse the decision and the smartphones were returned to the students following purported pressure from the president of the school’s managing committee, who is also a Trinamool Congress municipal councillor. The TMC leader felt such a move went against the state government’s welfare scheme under which Class XII students are given ₹10,000 each to buy smartphones or tabs to aid in their study.

Manotosh Bandopadhyay, the headmaster of Halisahar High School (HS), wanted the students to surrender their smartphones as they were highly active on social media platforms while being less attentive to their studies.

Out of approximately 200 students in Class XII, 43 had performed poorly in the qualifying exams, making them ineligible to appear for the HS examinations scheduled for March next year.

According to the school authorities, 30 of the 43 students were found to be excessively addicted to mobile phones and social media, a habit that was believed to have contributed to their poor results.

Heartbroken by their disqualification, the students appealed to the headmaster to allow them to appear for the main examination, citing the severe consequences of losing a year in the newly introduced semester system.

After much deliberation, Bandopadhyay devised a plan — he allowed the students to submit their application forms for the exams on the condition that they surrendered their phones and committed to a three-month social media detox to focus on their studies.

The proposal, which received the consent of students and their parents, was implemented on Friday morning. During a session with the headmaster, students handed over their phones in the presence of their guardians, pledging to prioritise their studies for the board exams.

However, the initiative faced backlash when Partha Saha, the managing committee president, intervened later in the afternoon. He termed the move “anti-government,” stating that such actions could raise questions about the state government’s welfare programme, which provides gadgets to students to support their studies.

Despite resistance from both students and parents, Saha insisted that the phones be returned immediately.

Once the smartphones were returned to the students, a disheartened Bandopadhyay left the school, leaving the students feeling embarrassed and uncertain about their futures. However, school sources said Saha had assured the students that they would be allowed to appear in the main exam.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Bandopadhyay said: “I wanted to help students focus on their studies by eliminating distractions. Both the students and their guardians had agreed to this initiative. Unfortunately, my effort is now being labelled as anti government, which is disheartening.”

He added: “These students are heavily addicted to mobile phones, and I fear they may struggle to focus without proper guidance. I doubt their parents will be able to monitor them effectively.”

A guardian echoed the headmaster’s sentiment. “That was a good decision. My son agreed to surrender his smartphone, and we were hopeful about the positive impact. Now, I am unsure of what lies ahead,” said the guardian.

Saha, councillor of ward 16 of Halisahar municipality, however, pleaded ignorance of the headmaster’s initiative.

“Our headmaster is a capable person, but I was not informed about any such move,” he said.

However, multiple sources among teachers and parents of students confirmed Saha’s involvement in reversing the decision by physically visiting the school. Trinamool insiders in Halisahar suggested that Saha’s intervention followed directions from local party leaders, who argued that forcing students to surrender government-issued devices could undermine the objectives of the state’s welfare programme.

Bandopadhyay, expressing his disappointment, said: “I complied with the managing committee president’s decision, but I did so with a heavy heart.”