Kolkata, Oct. 27 -- Reducing student dropouts between the secondary and higher secondary levels and addressing shortcomings in the semester system will be among the priorities of newly appointed West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) president Asit Kumar Mondal, who assumed office on Tuesday.
Mondal said the council would consult teachers and other stakeholders to identify and resolve problems with the semester system. These include complaints about incomplete syllabuses, delays in textbook availability and concerns among teachers that multiple-choice questions make it easier to score marks, potentially reducing students' engagement with their studies.
Acknowledging these concerns, Mondal said the semester system had several advantages, particularly in preparing students for competitive examinations and higher education, where semester-based courses are common. The National Education Policy (NEP) also advocates the system. He said the council would work to address shortcomings in its implementation.
Mondal also flagged the declining proportion of students progressing from Madhyamik to higher secondary education, describing it as a matter of concern. He said the number of students appearing for higher secondary examinations had been declining in proportion to the number of students passing Madhyamik, citing several possible reasons for the trend.
Increasing teacher strength, updating the syllabus to meet current requirements and strengthening monitoring could help reduce dropouts, he said.
According to him, completing the recruitment of higher secondary teachers and ensuring that they remain focused on teaching rather than being deployed for other government schemes could also improve the situation.
Mondal said implementing the NEP and the Indian Knowledge System could help revive the government school
education system.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.