With the increasing number of unsuccessful candidates this year in the Madhyamik Examination organised by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), teachers attached with government-aided schools have raised serious concerns with the issue.

This year, 1,20,881 out of 9.69 lakh candidates who appeared in the exam failed, showing a sharp increase in the number of unsuccessful students.

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In 2024, the number of unsuccessful candidates were 1,17,447, according to WBBSE sources.

While expressing deep concern with the future prospects of such a huge number of failed candidates Chandan Maiti, general secretary of the Advanced Society for Headmasters and Headmistress (ASFHM) said, “A staggering number of about 1,21,000 students have been declared unsuccessful this year. However, the WBBSE’s announcement was prominently silent on them, with no words of encouragement, concern or guidance from the board.”

“I think such a massive number of students, who fail to clear the examination, fall into despair and get directionless. The reasons: Prolonged summer break of around one-and-a-half months in the name of heat, suspension of classes for long days, accommodating polling personnel and forces and setting up of polling booths in school premises every year during different elections, acute shortage of teachers and non-teaching staff and a glaring lack of planning in the education system,” Mr Maiti said.

He also raised serious questions saying: “I doubt whether proper valuation of answer sheets has been done this year because ineligible teachers who have been segregated as ‘tainted’ by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the teachers recruitment scam might have evaluated the answer sheets.”

“There has been a slight increase in the number of unsuccessful students this year. I think the government will think about it seriously,” said Pintu Rit, headmaster of the Khejuri High School Jalpaiguri district across the state has the lowest 69.47 per cent successful candidates while the figure is the highest 96.46 per cent for East Midnapore that comes top of the list of 23 districts.