West Bengal schools see fewer dropouts at higher secondary level this year

Baishali Mukherjee

The number of students enrolling in Class 11 at the higher secondary level has increased this year. A significantly higher number of students have been admitted to Class 11 in schools under the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education compared to the number who passed the secondary (Madhyamik) examination this year. Many students from CBSE and ISC boards have also enrolled, according to the Higher Education Council of the state.

Chiranjib Bhattacharya, President of the Council, stated, “We have always strived to advance the education system by aligning it with the national standard. We were the first in India to introduce the semester system in school boards. Attracted by this new system, students from other boards have joined the Higher Secondary Council.”

It is noteworthy that in the past few years, the number of students enrolling at the higher secondary level has typically dropped compared to those who pass the secondary level. While 10.5 lakh students cleared the class X board exam in 2021, only 8.5 lakh appeared in the Higher Secondary (HS) exam in 2023. As many as 2 lakh students including 20.19% girls and 22.05% boys eventually dropped out. Similarly, out of 1.1 lakh candidates who passed class X board exam in 2022 only 7.8 lakh appeared for HS in 2024. 3.9 lakh including 13.26% girls and 20.35% boys dropped out during those two years.

However, this year has been an exception. Bucking the trend, the enrolment of students has witnessed a considerable rise. The fact that thousands of students from CBSE and ISC boards have recently registered under the state government’s Higher Secondary Education Council has surprised the council. The highest number of enrollments from other boards has been observed in Kolkata schools. For instance, Jadavpur Vidyapith admitted nearly 15 students from other boards, and this trend has been seen in many schools across districts, with even higher numbers in some cases.

Parthapratim Baidya, Headmaster of Jadavpur Vidyapith, commented, “The recent syllabus and examination system changes introduced by the Higher Secondary Education Council to align with national standards have increased students’ interest. As a result, dropout rates have decreased, and enrollments have risen.”

Moreover, according to sources from the education council, along with students from other boards joining the state’s education system, those who had previously failed under the old system have also registered under the new (semester-based) system. The council for the first time allowed students who had failed earlier to re-enroll for the first time.

This year, the total number of candidates for the class ten board (Madhyamik) examination was 9,10,598, including 4,03,900 boys and 5,08,698 girls, meaning 25.9% more girls appeared for the exams compared to boys. A total of 7,65,252 candidates passed the exams, and even more students have been admitted to Class 11.