1 month ago
The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced implementation of semester system for 11th-grade classes starting in the 2024-2025 academic year. Chiranjib Bhattacharya, the council president, also announced that the semester system for 12th-grade classes will be introduced in the academic session of 2025-2026.
This shift in the education system aligns with the new state education policy proposed last August.
The policy recommended transitioning to a semester-based approach for higher secondary education, which involves splitting examinations into two parts.
"On behalf of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, we are glad to announce that the School Education Department, Govt. of WB has given us permission vide memo no. 340-SED-11099/312/2023 dated 06.03.2024 to introduce the Semester System at the Higher Secondary Level from the Academic Session 2024-25 for Class XI and subsequently from the Academic Session 2025-26 for Class XII. The detailed syllabus and semester-wise implementation strategy will be uploaded soon.," reads the official notice.
Chiranjib Bhattacharya, the president of the council, announced that the state has given the green light to the semester system plan. Students scheduled to take the HS exams in 2025-2026 will be the first to experience the split exams, which will happen twice a year. Those currently in the 11th grade and taking the HS exams in 2025 will be the last group under the state board to sit for the single board exams covering 11th and 12th grades.
The syllabus for 11th and 12th grades are getting a makeover, with each year divided into two semesters. Class XI will have two semesters, and the results for the HS exams in 2026 will be determined by scores from both semesters' exams, scheduled for November and March. The November exams will feature multiple-choice questions (MCQs), while the March exams will include descriptive and short-answer questions.
The council's plan is to transform the current two-year examination system into a four-semester structure. Board exams will take place after the third and fourth semesters. They also suggested having the third-semester exam in a multiple-choice question (MCQ) format.
The education policy, developed by a committee specifically for West Bengal, has agreed to maintain the existing 4+4+2+2 structure. Under this system, students undergo four years of foundational education, followed by four years in upper primary (preparatory stage), and then two years (Classes 9 and 10) of secondary education.
The president of the council mentioned that they would soon provide detailed curriculum information and the arrangement of subjects by semester on the council's website.
(With inputs from PTI & TNN)
