During an administrative review meeting, Mamata Banerjee explained that a semester system would pressure students and said, “I came to know from media reports that a semester system is being introduced even at the primary level. How Bratya (Education Minister), such a policy decision was taken without intimating me and the Chief Secretary!”

CM Banerjee warned Basu to inform her and the Chief Secretary about such policy decisions in future, before they are published in media as “general people always think that whatever is published in media is true.”

“How media reports are published before taking final decision. After reading media reports people would think it has already been decided. This will not be implemented. It is not done. I always want to release the pressure on children and you are trying to impose further pressure on them. What you can implement in college, you can’t implement that at school level. Nowadays, children are in such pressure, they can’t tell rhymes like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” two lines at a time. It is not possible to introduce a semester in school level education,” Mamata Banerjee said.

Meanwhile, Basu said that decision in this regard was not taken yet. “I also asked the Principal Secretary to send the policy to you for approval. No decision was taken yet,” he said. After directions from the Union Education Ministry to introduce a semester system in primary and secondary school education, the West Bengal school education department considered implementing a similar system.