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Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Free coaching for JEE, NEET, other competitive exams: Bengal HS board's landmark initiative ‘particularly for rural students'
In a landmark initiative, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has launched a free competitive exam coaching program for Class XII science students. This is the first such move by the Council in its 50-year history, aimed at improving student performance in state joint entrance exams, JEE Mains, NEET-UG, and other national-level examinations. Initially, the program will cover students from Kolkata and nearby districts, with plans to expand to other regions in the future. Launched on Monday, the initiative will begin with approximately 208 students from around 65 schools, who will attend subject-specific sessions led by experienced teachers specializing in competitive exam preparation. According to WBCHSE, sessions will be held for four hours daily, with mock tests conducted at the end of each training cycle. Results will be provided on the same day of each test. Most of the coaching will take place during summer and Puja vacations, although some sessions may also be held after regular school hours during the academic term. Speaking to The Indian Express, WBCHSE President Chiranjib Bhattacharya said, 'This is a very unique initiative. In the last 50 years since our inception, such an initiative has never been undertaken. Our primary objective is to support students – particularly those from rural areas – who aspire to pursue engineering or medicine but lack the financial means to afford private coaching. We will provide this support completely free of cost.' Bhattacharya emphasised that many capable students from the districts do not receive proper training opportunities. 'With this initiative, we aim to bridge that gap and support their career aspirations,' he added. The program will be divided into two separate batches: one for engineering aspirants focusing on physics, chemistry, and mathematics (PCM), and another for medical aspirants with a focus on physics, chemistry, and biology (PCB). Students may opt to attend sessions from both batches if they wish. To identify eligible candidates, WBCHSE has shortlisted the top ten science-stream schools in each district based on their 2024 Higher Secondary examination performances. From each school, five to six top-performing science students will be selected for the program. In addition to the coaching sessions, the Council will also launch an interactive query feature through an Artificial Intelligence chatbot. This platform will allow students to raise questions related to competitive exams and receive timely responses. These sessions will be live-streamed on the Council's official Facebook and YouTube channels, and will include open Q&A segments for all interested students.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
HS Council to train students for competitive exams
Kolkata: The West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) is set to start a training programme aimed at preparing higher secondary students for entrance tests. This initiative is specifically designed for students aspiring to pursue careers in either engineering or medical Competitive Guidance Programme will provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their entrance examinations, and support them in achieving their academic and career president Chiranjib Bhattacharya said, "The objective is to provide science students training for appearing in entrance tests for engineering and medical disciplines. Schools have been identified from which students will attend this programme based on the results in science subjects in 2024. There are many students who couldn't get proper guidance for appearing in these tests because professional institutes charge a huge amount for it. But the council will provide it free of cost."The programme, to be introduced from Monday, will have around 200 students per day from 25 schools in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, and Howrah. This will continue until June 4. The training programme has been designed in such a way that, in the first few hours, students will be given classes for the respective subjects. Then, they will be given questions for mock tests, and, after the lunch break, a doubt-clearing session will be held based on the mock test results. HS council secretary Priyadarshini Mallick said, "There are many students who miss out on their dreams of becoming engineers or doctors due to financial constraints. Our aim is to provide them with a platform to get prepared for fulfilling their dreams. We have selected experts for respective subjects to guide students."Heads of different affiliating schools appreciated the initiative. This year, Devdutta Mahji and Archisman Nandy were among 10 perfect scorers of JEE Main. They had appeared for online mock tests organised by some professional institutes. Bappa Debnath, whose daughter is pursuing nursing, said, "She took training at a reputable centre before the medical entrance test. It was a huge financial pressure. If school boards take the responsibility, then this pressure will be alleviated." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
India Today
08-05-2025
- Science
- India Today
West Bengal becomes first state to adopt semester system in Class 12 board exams
West Bengal has become the first state in India to fully move to a semester-based exam system for its Class 12 (Higher Secondary) board exams. The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) confirmed that from the 2025-26 academic session, students will no longer follow the annual exam format, which had been in place since 1978. While declaring the WB Class 12 result on Wednesday, WBCHSE President Chiranjib Bhattacharya announced that the third semester exams will be held between September 8 and 22, and the fourth semester from February 12 to 27. Except for a few subjects like music and vocational streams, most papers will be of 1 hour and 15 minutes duration. The final score will be based on cumulative performance across both semesters. The first and third semesters will include multiple-choice questions, while the second and fourth will focus on short and descriptive answers to build writing ability. NEW SUBJECTS AND A SECOND CHANCE FOR FAILING STUDENTS The board is also rolling out new subjects such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Applied AI, and Science of Well-Being. Bhattacharya said this would offer students more flexibility and course variety. Students who failed the 2024-25 HS exams can opt into the new system, but only through their schools. Meanwhile, the West Bengal HS results were announced on May 7. Over 4.3 lakh out of 4.7 lakh students passed, with Science students recording a pass percentage of 99.46%. Commerce followed with 97.52%, and Arts stood at 88.25%. (With PTI inputs)
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Bengal HS council adopts semester system in its entirety
Council President Chiranjib Bhattacharya told PTI on Wednesday that according to the format, the third semester exams will be held between September 8 and 22, having a one-hour-and-15-minute duration for each paper except for visual arts, music and vocational subjects. The fourth semester exams will be held from February 12 to 27 next year, and candidates will be given the cumulative evaluation grade from these two semesters, he said. The last exams in the annual system, conducted since 1978, was held in March this year. In the new format, Semesters one and three will be MCQ based before 'to promote thinking and reasoning holistically.' Semester two and four will have SAQ (short answer question), and DQ (developmental quotient) to retain the writing abilities,' he said. Bhattacharya said Bengal is the first state having fully adapted the semester-based education system at the plus two level. 'We have introduced new subjects which include Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, Science of Well Being and Applied Artificial Intelligence. The semester system provides a greater flexibility for students in terms of course scheduling, allowing them to adopt a wider variety of courses,' he said. The council has introduced programmes like BOOTSTRAP (a training programme on computer-based subjects), said Bhattacharya. He said those who could not qualify in the recently conducted HS exams have been given the option to migrate to the new format, but their application has to be routed through their educational institutions and not individually. 'We are giving the disqualified candidates a chance to adapt to the new system and do well,' he said. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) on May 7 declared the results for the West Bengal Board WBCHSE Class 12 at a press conference in the Vidyasagar Bhawan, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Students who took the West Bengal Class 12th board exams can download their results from the official websites — and after 2 pm. This year, 4,73,919 students appeared for their WBCHSE Higher Secondary exam; of them, 4,30,286 have passed, resulting in a pass percentage of 90.79%, a slight increase from last year's 90%. This year, Science recorded a pass percentage of 99.46%, followed by Commerce with 97.52%, and Arts with 88.25%.
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
West Bengal HS results out: Three districts outperform Kolkata, 90.79% of students pass
The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) on Wednesday announced the results of the Higher Secondary (Class 12) examinations for 2025. According to the Council, the results have been available online from 2 pm onwards for students to check and download. Students can access their results through the official websites and as well as via SMS, mobile apps, and the DigiLocker platform. Hard copies of marksheets and pass certificates will be distributed to respective schools on May 8 from 10 am onwards. This year, 4,82,948 students had enrolled for the examination, of which 4,73,919 appeared. The overall pass percentage stood at 90.79%, a marginal increase from last year's 90%. The examinations were conducted from March 3 to March 18. Dr Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, President of the Council, stated, 'This is the last year of the annual exam system which has been in practice since 1978. The Higher Secondary examinations will adopt a semester-based format. The third semester will be held from September 8 to September 22, 2025, and the fourth semester from February 12 to February 27, 2026.' The exams were conducted in six languages, covering a total of 62 subjects, which included 15 languages and 13 vocational subjects. 'This year, the number of female students exceeded male students by 47,539, which is perhaps the outcome of various government initiatives,' said Dr Bhattacharya. Male students recorded a pass percentage of 92.03%, while female students achieved a pass rate of 88.12%. In terms of stream-wise performance, male candidates outperformed their female counterparts in both Science and Commerce. The Science stream led with a 99.46% pass rate, followed by Commerce at 97.52% and Arts at 90.7%. District-wise, Purba Medinipur topped the list with a 95.74% pass percentage, followed by North 24 Parganas at 93.53%, and Kolkata at 93.43%. A total of 72 candidates secured positions in the top 10 merit list. The topper this year is Rupayan Pal from Burdwan C M S High School, who scored 497 out of 500 (99.4%). To prevent malpractice, WBCHSE had deployed metal detectors at all exam centres and introduced a 'question paper serial number' system to track any potential leaks. There were no major incidents reported during the examinations, apart from a few isolated cases. Eight mobile phones were recovered, and the admit cards of those students were confiscated. To enhance result authentication, WBCHSE has introduced QR codes and percentile scores on marksheets. Students unsatisfied with their results may apply for Post Publication Scrutiny (PPS) or Post Publication Review (PPR), with applications to be submitted online. The revaluation results are expected by June 2025, in line with last year's schedule. Students who have failed in one or two subjects can opt for compartment exams, which are likely to be held around August or September 2025, with results expected by September. Applications must be submitted through schools along with the necessary fees. 'For the first time, the mark sheet will include a QR code and percentile scores,' said Dr Bhattacharjee. 'There will be an overall percentile as well as subject-wise percentiles provided, so that students can better judge their performance.'
