12 Kolkata: This year's Higher Secondary exams, scheduled from March 3 to March 18, will have 5.1 lakh-odd candidates, around 2.8 lakh examinees fewer than last year's 7.9 lakh.
"We knew this year's figure would be lower than that in previous years because, in 2023, Madhyamik witnessed a sharp drop in the number of candidates due to an age-related issue they faced at the lower level," said Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, president of West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE). That Madhyamik (Class X) batch is appearing for this year's HS (Class XII).
An official of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, which conducts Madhyamik, said three major factors led to the fewer number of Class X candidates in 2023—Covid-induced disruption, rise of dropouts and the impact of a 2017 govt circular, which barred children, even a day below 10 years, from taking admission to Class V.
In 2023, 6.9 lakh candidates had appeared for Madhyamik, around 4 lakh fewer students who had appeared for the state board Class X exams in 2022. A total of 5.7 lakh candidates cleared Madhyamik in 2023, and 5.6 lakh candidates registered for Class XI. But 5.1 lakh candidates will appear for this year's HC, registering a drop of 55,000. Explaining the 55,000 drop in the registration, Bhattacharjee said, "Around 55,000 candidates did not enrol after they completed their registration in Class XI. There might be several reasons behind this—some might have chosen other courses, or they might have dropped out due to a lack of preparation."
This year, the HS council has introduced multiple security measures to check chances of question paper leaks and stop students from carrying electronic gadgets—mobiles, smartwatches and Bluetooth devices—inside exam halls. Each of the 2,089 exam centres will have a metal detector to check candidates. If any examinee is caught with any of the devices, his or her entire exam will be cancelled. Every room will have at least two invigilators, and the number may be increased, based on the number of candidates.
Sealed packets, containing question papers and answer scripts, will be opened in front of students. Each question paper will have a printed unique serial number, which students have to write on the top right side of the answer script. There will also be a QR code and a barcode on every question paper. The council will have a dedicated tracking system to keep an eye on the system.