Category Archives: Education

Crime, Education, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

‘Very happy’ Mamata hails SC order, BJP says corruption has been proved in court

May 8, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

PTI, Kolkata, 7 May, 2024 : Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order that stayed the Calcutta High Court verdict of cancelling more than 25,000 school jobs, and said she is “very happy and mentally relaxed” after getting justice in the apex court.

“I am really very happy and mentally relaxed on receipt of justice at the highest Court of the land. Congratulations to the entire teaching fraternity and my humble regards to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” Mamata said in a post on X.

Speaking in a similar vein, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said truth has triumphed.

“The Honorable Supreme Court has DEFUSED the BJP’s ‘EXPLOSIVE’ hurled last week to malign Bengal’s image and destabilise WB government. TRUTH HAS TRIUMPHED! We will continue to defy all odds and stand shoulder to shoulder with the people until our last breath,” he wrote on X.

The BJP, however, claimed that corruption in school recruitment in West Bengal has been proven in the court. “The TMC is neck-deep in corruption in this scam. They cannot evade their responsibilities,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

Career / Jobs, Crime, Education, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

SC stays Calcutta HC order annulling appointment of 25,753 teachers, others in West Bengal

May 7, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

The bench said the state government has nothing to show that relevant data was maintained by the authorities and asked about its availability

PTI, New Delhi, 07.05.24 : In a major relief to 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff of West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the order of the Calcutta High Court order invalidating their appointment made by the state’s School Service Commission (SSC) in the state-run and state-aided schools.

The top court, however, permitted the central probe agency, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to continue with its investigation and said it may probe even the members of the state cabinet if needed.

While granting the relief on the pleas, including the one filed by the state government, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the CBI not to take any precipitative action like any arrest of any suspect during its ongoing investigation.

The top court, however, made it clear that the teachers and non-teaching staff of the state, whose appointments were cancelled by the high court, will have to refund the salaries and other emoluments if it reaches the conclusion that their recruitment was illegal.

“We are of the view that an expeditious disposal of the matter will be in the interest of justice. We accordingly direct that the proceedings be listed for hearing and final disposal on July 16, 2024.

“In the meantime, we are inclined to continue the ad-interim protection granted by this Court in the order dated November 9, 2023, subject to the express stipulation that any person found to have been appointed illegally and has continued as a consequence of the present order shall undertake to refund the entire amount of the salary which may be paid from the date of this order and the final judgement of this court,” the bench said in its order.

It said the issue which would merit closer analysis is whether the appointment which suffers from tainted can be segregated (with the genuine ones). If such is possible then it would be wrong to set aside the entirety of the process, the bench said.

The court should also be mindful that a large number of teachers for class 9-10th would be effected. Assuming that such a segregation is possible, this court has to set out the modalities to determine the segregation, the bench said in the order.

Earlier in the day, it termed the alleged recruitment scam in West Bengal as “systemic fraud” and said the state authorities were duty-bound to maintain the digitised records pertaining to the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff.

“Public job is so scarce… Nothing remains if the faith of the public goes. This is systemic fraud. Public jobs are extremely scarce today and are looked at for social mobility.

“What remains in the system if their appointments are also maligned? People will lose faith, how do you countenance this?” the CJI asked the lawyers representing the state government.

The bench said the state government has nothing to show that the data was maintained by its authorities and asked about its availability.

“Either you have the data or you do not have it… You were duty-bound to maintain the documents in digitised form. Now, it is obvious that there is no data.

“You are unaware of the fact that your service provider has engaged another agency. You had to maintain supervisory control,” the bench told the state government’s lawyers.

The top court said expeditious hearing was needed in the matter and listed the pleas for hearing on July 16.

It took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the order staying the high court judgment may hamper the ongoing CBI probe and clarified that the investigation by the central agency will continue without any coercive action against the government officials and others.

Senior advocates Rakesh Dwivedi and N K Kaul, representing the state government authorities, argued against the cancellation of the appointments by the high court.

During the hearing, senior advocate Dushyant Dave made comments against former Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay and sought a stay of the high court order.

“Mr Dave, we are not on conduct of Mr Gangopadhyay. We have been here and listening the nitty-gritty of the case since morning. Please show some decorum,” the bench said.

The CJI, once during the hearing, got irked and said he will issue notice and keep the case for hearing in July if the orderly hearing is allowed to take place.

“We are not here to scrutinise the conduct of Justice Gangopadhyay,” the CJI said, adding that the lawyers should be concerned with the legality of the case and levelling allegations against the high court judge will not lead anywhere.

The bench, in its order, said, “We are of view that submission of petitioners (state government and others) merits further consideration.” The top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the Calcutta High Court’s April 22 decision that invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in state-run and state-aided schools of West Bengal.

Besides cancelling the appointments, the Calcutta High Court had also directed the CBI to probe into the appointment process and submit a report in three months.

Over 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the State Level Selection Test (SLST)-2016 for 24,640 vacant posts. A total of 25,753 appointment letters were issued against 24,640 vacancies, Firdaus Shamim, a lawyer for some of the petitioners who had alleged irregularities in the selection process, had said.

The court also instructed those appointed outside the officially available 24,640 vacancies, appointed after the expiry of the official date of recruitment, and those who submitted blank Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets but obtained appointments to return all remunerations and benefits received by them with 12 per cent per annum interest, within four weeks.

Career / Jobs, Education, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

Cancellation of 25,753 appointments: SC to hear case on Tuesday

May 7, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

MP, 6 May 2024, Kolkata: Case against the Calcutta High Court’s verdict cancelling appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching staff will be heard by the Supreme Court on May 7.

The matter was listed to be heard on Monday. According to a news agency, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) asked the counsels to prepare a sequence of arrangements amongst themselves to make orderly submissions before the bench.

Hence, the matter will be taken up for hearing on May 7. In the earlier hearing which took place on April 29, the Supreme Court stayed CBI probe with regard to the state government officials involved in approving supernumerary posts to accommodate illegal appointments and to take such persons into custodial interrogation if necessary.

However, the Apex Court turned down the prayer for stay of High Court’s direction to cancel the appointments of 25,753 candidates, which includes both teaching and non-teaching staff who were appointed in 2016.

The petition filed by the state government, West Bengal Central School Service Commission and affected employees will be heard by a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra. Ever since the judgement by the special bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi, the candidates who lost their jobs and claim to have been appointed in a ‘fair’ manner have been protesting against the judgement.

They had staged a protest outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) office recently. The Commission chairman Siddharth Majumder met with 10 representatives from the protesters and explained the legal constraints pertaining to the matter.

While expressing his sympathy towards legitimate candidates who allegedly lost their jobs in the case, he assured them that the commission will do everything possible within the legal framework to assist them.

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/cancellation-of-25753-appointments-sc-to-hear-case-on-tuesday-562766

Career / Jobs, Education, Regional, West Bengal

Gorubathan Future Vision and Gorubathan Government Degree College jointly felicitates the three UPSC successful candidates

May 5, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

KalimNews, Kalimpong, 5 May 2024:

* On 7th May, at Gorubathan Government Degree College a seminar is organised at 10 am.

* The three UPSC passed out candidates will present motivational speech to those who are preparing for the UPSC examinations and also other aspiring candidates and also guide regarding coaching and preparation for the examinations.

* About 13 lakh candidates appeared in the UPSC examination 2023.

Result of the UPSC Examination 2023 proves that a new batch of honest, dedicated brave Gorkhas who protect the country’s borders are now preparing for the higher administrative services of the country.

By passing the UPSC civil service examination, three Gorkhas of the 2023 batch from the beautiful, gentle, peaceful Himalayan district of Darjeeling have held the head of the Gorkha community higher than the Mount Everest.

Gorubathan Future Vision and Gorubathan Government College will jointly honour those warriors with pen on May 7 during the programme. It is confirmed that Jayasree Pradhan and Ajay Moktan will attend the program, while due to an examination Goutam Thakuri will not be able to attend it.

Puran Rai, the chairman of Future Vision, said that in order to celebrate this historic achievement of our Gorkha heroes by congratulating them and to share their experiences to the local educated youth, a motivational program is organized for the graduate students of Gorubthan and adjoining areas.

“The youth icons Jayasree, Gautam and Ajay are and have now become celebrities”, Rai said. With their significant achievement, the administrative and educational strength of the people of Darjeeling Hills has been marked in the map of the country. He further said that this achievement should be taken as a turning point by the Gorkhas. Dissemination of information, proper guidelines and coaching will come forth with more similar result in the future days too.

Darjeeling’s Jayasree Pradhan (52 Rank), Gautam Thakuri (391 Rank) and Ajay Moktan (494 Rank) were amongst the 14,624 successful students who cleared the UPSC Examination 2023, out of the 13 lakh candidates who appeared in the said examination.

UPSC conducts this exam every year to select candidates for the higher administrative posts of the ranks of IPS, IAS, IFS, IRS, and others. The UPSC CSE exam is held in three phases – prelims, mains and interview. Generally around 10 lakh students attempt this examination every year, however, only 0.2% use to pass the examination. This shows how difficult this exam is.

The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2023 was conducted on May 28, 2023. A total of 10,16,850 candidates applied for this examination, out of which 5,92,141 candidates appeared in the examination Out of these, a total of 14,624 candidates qualified for appearance in the Main exam which was held in September 2023.

Out of the total 10,16,850 candidates applying for the UPSC Civil Services examination, as many as 5,92,141 candidates actually appeared. Of them, 14,624 candidates qualified for the UPSC CSE Main (written) examination and a total of 2,855 candidates qualified for the interview and personality test of the examination in which three Gorkha candidates of the Darjeeling district were the qualifiers..

The result of the UPSC Preliminary Examination was declared on 12th June 2023. These successful candidates filled up the DAF form for UPSC Mains 2023 from September 15 to 24, 2023. Candidates who cleared the mains were called for the interview round which was conducted between January 4 and April 9. UPSC has kept the candidature of 355 recommended candidates in provisional. Of the 1,016 recommended candidates, as many as 347 are from the general category, 115 are from the EWS category, 303 candidates are from the OBC category and from SC and ST, the number of recommended candidates are 165 and 86 respectively.

Education, National, Politics

BJP Govt’s plan to convert English medium schools back to Hindi language to be an absurd decision: Gehlot

May 5, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

“Our government started Mahatma Gandhi English Medium Schools with the objective of providing English education to the children of poor and middle class families,” Gehlot said.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

SNS | Jaipur | May 4, 2024 : On the Rajasthan BJP government’s plan to convert English medium schools back to Hindi language, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today said that it would be an absurd decision and against the poor and middle class families.

“Our government started Mahatma Gandhi English Medium Schools with the objective of providing English education to the children of poor and middle class families,” Gehlot said.

In his X post, Gehlot said: “If there was a need for improvement in these schools, then the present government would have made the necessary improvements, but converting English medium schools back to Hindi medium seems absurd and against the poor and middle class. Hindi is the mother tongue of all of us, but English medium gives new employment opportunities to children.”

“The previous government opened English medium schools on the demand of local residents and public representatives and these created a good environment. Hence, the BJP Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma should reconsider this decision,” he opined.

The State Education Department has issued a 38 points format to the District Education Department to review the previous Congress government’s decision and submit their reports to the government, whether to revert it back to Hindi medium schools. There are about 3300 English medium government schools which are being run in the state even in villages.

Education, National, Northeast, Regional, West Bengal

Two fake circulars announcing date and time of the ICSE and ISC results cause panic

May 5, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

Anxious ICSE, ISC students check websites

Jhinuk Mazumdar, TT, Calcutta, 05.05.24 :

Two fake circulars announcing the date and time of the ICSE and ISC results and a fake link to a page with the name of the council on social media caused anxiety for thousands of students on Saturday.

ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) examinees kept calling their teachers and checking the website in anticipation of their results.

“The circulars were fake,” Sangeeta Bhatia, deputy secretary of Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), told The Telegraph from Delhi.

One of the circulars said the results would be published on May 4 at 1pm while the other one said they would be out on May 7 at 10am.

“The council will take up this matter with police and is waiting for advisers to say what to do,” said a council official in Delhi. Asked if the council would lodge any complaint, the official said: “Yes, we will be doing that.”

A senior officer of Kolkata Police’s detective department said they had not received any complaint till Saturday evening. “We have not received any complaint so far.”

The ICSE and ISC results are usually published by the middle of May and the council makes an announcement before publishing the results.

Last year, the results were published on May 14.

Some of the teachers issued their own clarification to anxious students.

“I sent out a message to parents and children saying that one should check the official website of the council and not believe in any other link,” said Souvic Jati, ICSE coordinator of The Heritage School.

The ICSE exam ended on March 28 and ISC on April 4.

“This is a serious harassment of students. Some will be appearing for the Neet (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) on Sunday and they are getting unnecessarily stressed. There should be action against those who are spreading such rumours,” said Rodney Borneo, principal, St Augustine’s Day School Shyamnagar.

Education, Misc, National, Northeast

I wanna hold your hand…NGO revives a long shut school in Manipur

May 5, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

What can a Calcutta-based NGO, a social worker from Manipur’s hills and some long-shut government primary schools have in common?

Knock, Knock: A primary school in Oklong Khunou village : Photo, courtesy Prasanta Roy

Sudipta Bhattacharjee, TT, 05.05.24 : From the air, Manipur looks like a bowl, a verdant valley girdled by green hills. There appears no hint of the unprecedented turbulence that has rocked this northeastern state over the past year.

But there is certainly a sense of eerie isolation and foreboding on the route from Imphal to the hill districts surrounding the valley. Leaving the Manipur capital behind, it takes three hours along National Highway 2 to reach Senapati town. Provisions are procured from here because the villages in the hills are scantily stocked.

While the majority Meiteis live in the valley, the Naga and Kuki-Zo communities inhabit the five hill districts of Senapati, Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Chandel and Ukhrul. From Senapati town, it takes over 90 minutes to reach the villages of Oklong and Oklong Khunou, comprising the Naga indigenous population, along roads in various states of disrepair, gradient and sudden turns.

In the village, one can find R.K. Paul Chawang, a native of Oklong Khunou. Paul is a social worker with a mission. His organisation, Amyaa, is striving to bring a semblance of progress to the otherwise stagnant villages in the vicinity that include Oklong, Oklong Maryram, Oklong Khunou, Makuilongdi and Maram Khunou. While working on a project in Arunachal Pradesh, he came across members of a Calcutta-based NGO, Prayasam, and urged them to come to trouble-torn Manipur and train the youth of Senapati hill district.

Recently, a group of Am-yaa members came to Calcutta to be trained at Prayasam’s Community Youth Hub. One of the members, Albert, who is also from Oklong Khunou village, found the skills training so helpful that, like Paul, he felt the youth back home would benefit greatly from this joint venture. Prayasam’s life-skills education module addresses vital parameters like self-knowledge, communication, relationship-building, decision-making, coping with emotions, living with disability and substance-use, among others.

In the hills of Senapati, Paul introduced the Prayasam team — founder Amlan Kusum Ganguly, Saptarshi Ray, Prasanta Roy and Manish Chowdhury — to several village elders, young adults, children and women to chalk out an action plan for the resurrection of defunct government primary schools that have no infrastructure or teachers.

According to 29-year-old Erangbe Hau, the school in-charge at Makuilongdi, “The government teachers never come to the schools, although they collect their salaries. We run the school as ‘proxy teachers’ at a salary of ₹6,000, arranged by the local church and village council.” Like him, 24-year-old Machunkam, a college student who lives in Oklong Khunou, says he and his friends are ready to spearhead the change.

Paul explains the demographic negligence of the hill districts. “During the long tenure of Congress chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, the Nagas were at the receiving end and had to take recourse to a 100-day economic blockade. Under the present BJP dispensation with N. Biren Singh as chief minister, it is the Kukis who are being deprived. But despite his apparently kind visage towards us Nagas, there is no development. Whatever little funds trickle down, after greasing palms in between, are grossly insufficient for any welfare scheme,” he adds. Like in Bengal and many other states, there is a thriving job racket, including that for the posts of schoolteachers.

Paul is now looking to Prayasam to train the youth, hand-hold the trainees till they are able to sustain the impact on society and bring in a semblance of progress to keep the youth from migrating to the mainland, where most end up frustrated with their efforts to eke out a decent living. Ganguly says they will replicate their successful training module in Senapati very soon.

“Central to Prayasam’s approach is the focus on youth empowerment through Ontrack life skills lessons,” he explains. “Tailored specifically to the needs and aspirations of young people, these sessions equip them with essential skills such as problem-solving and leadership. Through interactive workshops and hands-on activities, youth are empowered to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and resilience. Moreover, they are trained to be community ambassadors, tasked with spearheading grassroots initiatives and mobilising their peers towards collective action for positive change.”

Elaborating, he says: “At the heart of Prayasam’s intervention strategy lies the concept of Multiple Activity Centres (MACs), envisioned as vibrant hubs of community engagement and empowerment. These centres serve as catalysts for change, offering a wide array of programmes and activities designed to uplift and empower the entire community.” In the villages of Senapati, the schools will be used as MACs — for children’s classes, youth activity as well as adult education programmes.

The MACs also serve as platforms for economic empowerment, particularly for women. In Naga society, women are not at the forefront of decision-making. To hone their skills, Prayasam will include income-generating activities, providing them with opportunities to achieve financial independence. Ganguly, an Ashoka and Ford fellow, says: “They will be trained in the marketing of forest resources, including local produce like kiwi and large cardamom, empowering the women to leverage their natural surroundings sustainably and generate income for their families.”

The Nagas of Senapati comprise the Zemi, Rongmei and Liangmai communities. All of them stand united in the quest for development. One village elder lamented that they have not seen their children and grandchildren in decades. There is no school, no health centre. Who would want to remain there, he asked.

Career / Jobs, Education, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

SSC pledges to differentiate between deserving and undeserving candidates amidst termination controversy

May 4, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

We had submitted a list of the undeserving candidates to the division bench of Calcutta High Court: SSC

Subhankar Chowdhury, TT, Calcutta, 04.05.24 :

School Service Commission, Salt Lake office.: File

The school service commission (SSC) chief on Friday said they would tell the Supreme Court that it was possible to make a distinction between the deserving and the undeserving candidates among the 25,000-odd teachers and other employees at government-aided schools whose services were terminated by Calcutta High Court.

“The commission will definitely stand by those who got their jobs through fair means. We will try to assure the Supreme Court, where a case is being heard, that it is possible to make a distinction between those who are deserving and those who are not from this list (of the 25,700 candidates),” SSC chairperson Siddhartha Majumdar told a news conference.

The briefing was convened hours after a section of the 25,700-odd teaching and non-teaching employees who stand to lose their jobs following a Calcutta High Court order on April 22 held a protest outside the SSC office in Salt Lake.

“We had submitted a list of the undeserving candidates to the division bench of Calcutta High Court. Similarly, we can hand over the list of the disputed candidates to the Supreme Court. The commission will definitely stand by those who are not guilty or those who cannot be identified as tainted. This is the stand of the commission,” Majumdar said

On April 25, Majumdar had said at a news conference that the commission had informed the high court through three affidavits that 5,300 teaching and non-teaching employees had got their jobs allegedly through unfair means.

The SSC chairman had made the comment while countering the court’s

statement that the commission did not cooperate in tracing the candidates who had got their jobs allegedly through unfair means.

On April 29, the Bengal government, SSC and the state secondary education board had submitted before the Supreme Court that the high court’s April 22 order scrapping the jobs of all 25,700 candidates who had been appointed based on their performance in the 2016 selection tests, because of possible irregularities in some appointments, violated the principles of natural justice.

Chief Justice Chandrachud then observed: “You have to demonstrate that… on the basis of material available, it is possible to segregate who all are validly and invalidly appointed; who are the beneficiaries of the frauds.”

The apex court will again hear the case on May 6.

The SSC chairperson on Friday said it was in this context that he said that they would try to assure the Supreme Court that it was possible to make a distinction between the deserving and the undeserving candidates.

“A section of those who stand to lose jobs following the Calcutta High Court order was staging a protest outside the SSC office. I told the media persons who came to the office that it was possible to make a distinction between those who are deserving and those who are not,” Majumdar told Metro later.

When this newspaper sought to know how the commission would make a distinction, an official said: “We could give the apex court a list of the candidates against whom there are no allegations so far.”

The counsel for the Bengal government had submitted in the Supreme Court on Monday that the high court judgment violated the Supreme Court ruling in the Inderpreet Singh Kahlon and Others vs State of Punjab in 2006, which said the entire selection process cannot be cancelled because of irregularities in some appointments.

Career / Jobs, Education, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

Bengal: Jobless teachers stage protest, SSC Chiefsays commission try to help deserving ones

May 4, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

Police personnel from the RAF and Bidhannagar police commissionerate intervened, halting the demonstrators near the commission’s head office at Karunamoyee

PTI, Calcutta, 03.05.24,: Around 1,000 young teachers, who were rendered jobless following a recent ruling by the Calcutta High Court, staged a demonstration outside the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) office here on Friday to express their grievances.

The teachers said they were part of the 26,000 candidates who appeared for the SSC 2016 test, a recruitment process deemed null and void by the high court in its recent verdict.

Police personnel from the RAF and Bidhannagar police commissionerate intervened, halting the demonstrators near the commission’s head office at Karunamoyee.

Approximately, 100 protesters were briefly detained for obstructing the road, a police official said.

SSC chairman Siddhartha Majumder told PTI that he met about 10 representatives from the protesters, explaining the legal constraints faced by the commission.

He expressed sympathy towards deserving candidates and assured them that the commission would do whatever possible within the legal framework to assist them.

“I have told them we are sympathetic to the deserving candidates.

The commission will certainly do whatever is possible, as per the legal framework, to help them,” he said.

However, he highlighted that the commission’s actions were restricted as the matter was now sub-judice.

Responding to queries regarding demands for the release of answer sheets in the public domain, Majumder clarified that the commission couldn’t even disclose candidates’ results, as the entire issue was sub-judice.

The SSC had earlier said while results of around 20,000 candidates were not suspicious, there are anomalies in the results of over 5000 and it had been brought to the notice of the court in past submissions.

Education, Regional, West Bengal

Number of students in Madhyamik with scores above 90 per cent surges in all subjects except for two

May 3, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

Results of state’s Class X board exams, declared on Thursday, show maximum rise has been in mathematics and geography

Subhankar Chowdhury, TT, Calcutta, 03.05.24 : The number of students with scores above 90 per cent has surged in all subjects, except the second language and physical science, in Madhyamik this year, compared with last year’s results.

The results of the state’s Class X board exams, declared on Thursday, show the maximum rise has been in mathematics and geography.

As many as 22,951 students scored above 90 in mathematics in 2024, compared with 12,951 last year.

Students who scored above 90 in geography numbered 49,994, compared with 31,294 last year.

This year witnessed a significant rise in female candidates — 25.95 per cent more girls, compared with last year’s count, wrote the papers.

Of the 9,12,598 candidates, 7,65,252 students have passed the exams. The overall pass percentage is 86.31, a mild improvement from last year’s 86.15.

The number of students with scores above 90 per cent rose in history, life science and first language (vernacular) as well.

But the number of students with “AA” grade (90 per cent or more) — the highest grade — in the second language dipped to 9,922. Last year, the count was 11,229.

The number of AA scorers in physical science was 14,415, compared with 17,357 last year.

This year there was also a drop in the percentage of candidates who got first division, which is 60 per cent or above, in the aggregate.

This year 12.98 per cent of the examinees scored first-division marks, against 13.67 per cent last year.

When asked about the results, Ramanuj Ganguly, the president of the ad-hoc committee of the state secondary education board, said: “We have to study the reasons that led to the rise in the number of high scorers in some subjects and fall in some others. We will make a detailed analysis.”

Swapan Mandal, of the Bengal Teachers’ and Employees’ Association, said: “It is a matter of concern that the number of high scorers has dipped in two subjects despite a rise in the number of total candidates. This year, 9,12,598 appeared for the exams, against 6,82,321 last year. The percentage of first division also dipped.”

The secondary education board asked the school heads to open the URL https://www.wbbsedata.com after noon on May 2 for post-publication scrutiny (PPS) and post-publication review (PPR) of Madhyamik answer scripts.

The applications will be received till midnight of May 18.

The instruction tab for details of the login and application process has been uploaded on the board’s website.

The board also announced that applications for certified copies of answer scripts, under the RTI Act 2005, must reach the respective regional offices of the board within 75 days of the publication of the results (by July 16).

The board said that if such candidates apply for PPS/PPF as well, the RTI application for the certified copy will be processed after the publication of PPS/PPR results.

Education, Regional, West Bengal

Planters seek government aid for heat effect on tea industry due to mercury surge

May 3, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

M.K. Maitra, the secretary of the Terai Indian Planters’ Association (TIPA), wrote to Bengal labour minister Moloy Ghatak on Thursday, saying the drought-like situation had hit the tea gardens across the Terai

Avijit Sinha, TT, Siliguri, 03.05.24 : The surge in mercury across north Bengal like other parts of the state and the absence of rainfall have badly hit the tea industry, prompting planters to appeal to the labour minister to announce subsidies and financial assistance for the sector.

“In April, there was a rainfall shortage of around 50 per cent in the Terai, which has directly affected the production. At a time when the cost of production has increased because of the rise in cost of different components, the decline in production has put several gardens in crisis,” said Maitra.

With no rainfall reported in the Terai in recent weeks, over 40 tea estates in the region are entirely dependent on irrigation to ensure that tea bushes don’t dry up. Also, the absence of rain has led to pest attacks in several gardens. In most gardens of the Terai, picking of tea leaves could be carried out only three to four days a week because of low yield, said a source.

“For irrigation purposes, the gardens had to pay huge power bills. That is why we have brought it to the notice of the state labour minister and have requested him to see that a substantial discount on electricity bills for irrigation is provided by the state from November to May,” said the TIPA secretary.

He said the central and state governments should come forward with other financial assistance, subsidies and additional relief and aid for the tea industry.

“Such assistance would help the industry tide over the current situation and contribute to the socio-economic well-being of the region,” added Maitra.

Those associated with the small tea sector, which contributes over 50 per cent of the total tea produced in Bengal, also articulated their distress.

“We don’t know when the weather conditions will improve. Most of the growers are dependent on the sale proceeds of tea leaves. These days, because of low yield, their earnings have deceased and many of them are finding it tough to pay the workers who pick tea leaves,” said Bijoygopal Chakraborty, president of the Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers’ Associations.

Meetings called

Subhagata Gupta, the deputy labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri, has convened meetings in Jalpaiguri on May 6 to expedite the reopening of the Totapara tea estate.

The management of the garden in Banarhat block announced the suspension of work on Wednesday. As a result, 855 permanent workers became jobless.

Education, Regional, West Bengal

Over 86% ‘Children with Special Need’ pass Madhyamik

May 3, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

Out of the total number of candidates, 7,65,252 were successful while the results of two were withheld, 46 candidates’ exams were cancelled and 81 were exonerated

MP, 3 May 2024, Kolkata: Children With Special Needs (CWSN) performed well in the Madhyamik 2024 with a success rate of 86.90 per cent. “This proves that the urge for education is universally present among all school-goers” the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education stated on Thursday.

The result of the Madhyamik was announced on Thursday. A total of 9,12,598 candidates appeared. Exams were conducted in seven compulsory subjects, 12 first languages, three second languages and 47 optional elective subjects.

Out of the total number of candidates, 7,65,252 were successful while the results of two were withheld, 46 candidates’ exams were cancelled and 81 were exonerated.

Out of the total number of candidates, 962 CWSN candidates appeared for the examination. According to the data provided by the Board, 192 visually impaired candidates — 101 male and 91 female — 184 with hearing impairment — 94 male and 90 female — and 586 Orthopedic Physically Handicapped (OPH) candidates — 353 male and 233 female.

Out of 192 visually-impaired candidates, 182 were successful candidates out of which 99 were boys and 83 were girls. Out of 184 candidates with hearing impairment, 141 were successful candidates and out of 586 OPH candidates, 539 candidates were successful.

The visually impaired students were allowed one amanuensis (one substitute when required) during the examination and were allowed 45 minutes extra time.

The examination centres were requested to make provision for examinees suffering from Thalassaemia and those who are wheelchair-bound to take their examination on the ground floor. Orthopaedically handicapped examinees were allotted examination centres with ramps.

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/over-86-children-with-special-need-pass-madhyamik-562285

Education, Regional, West Bengal

Kalimpong students excel in Madhyamik Examination

May 3, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, MAY 2, 2024: In this year’s Madhyamik Examination, the Kalimpong district has achieved the highest pass percentage in the state of West Bengal. The Kalimpong district has secured a pass percentage 96.2 in secondary examination this year.

This is considered to be the highest pass percentage in the state. Last year, the Kalimpong district was the second in pass percentage and this year it has reached first place. This year’s Madhyamik examination results have made Kalimpong proud and there is a wave of happiness throughout the district after the results.

Leeom Lenchyao Lepcha of St Philomena School in Kalimpong is the district topper, securing 90.2 percent marks. Leeom is a resident of Chibo under constituency no.33. She has attributed her success to God and Sisters, teachers and parents. She also said that hard work is behind her success.

“The bigger the goal, the harder it is to work and if you work hard, you will surely succeed,” she said. She said that she is planning to prepare for her NEET as her dream was to become a doctor.

Similarly, Norden Lepcha, her father, while expressing his happiness at his daughter’s success, said that instead of scolding the children, one should give advice and encouragement. Principal of St. Philomena School Sister Cricenta Rai, thanked God for the good results of the school in the secondary examination and Leeom Lencho Lepcha from the school for her score and for becoming the Kalimpong district topper.

A total of 3921 students took the exam from Kalimpong district this year.

Education, Regional, States, West Bengal

WBBSE Madhyamik 10th Result 2024 declared – 86.31 percent students qualify exam

May 2, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

A total of 83.90 percent of female students have qualified the exam while for male students the percentage stands at 89.21 percent

TT, 02 May 2024:

A total of 83.90 percent of female students have qualified the exam while for male students the percentage stands at 89.21 percent

The results of West Bengal Madhyamik Exam was declared by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education through a press conference on Thursday morning. As the results were declared, it was found that the districts have outshone Kolkata in the Examinations with Chandrachur Sen from Rambhola High School in Coochbehar district securing the top position with 693 marks.

Fifty-seven students have secured their position in the top 10 with eight students from South 24 Parganas making it to the list of top 10 followed by South Dinajpur, Purba Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Bankura. The overall pass percentage of this year’s Madhyamik Exam is 86.31 which is slightly higher than the previous year’s pass percentage of 86.15 percent.

A total of 83.90 percent of female students have qualified the exam while for male students the percentage stands at 89.21 percent.

In Kolkata, Somdutta Samanta from Kamala Girls High School topped the district with 10th rank in Madhyamik Exam.

A total of 9,12,598 students had appeared in the examination at 986 centres throughout the state with a total of 7,76,252 students qualifying the exam. This includes 4,03,900 male students and 5,08,698 female students.

Also Read: West Bengal Madhyamik 2024 Result DECLARED! Check Your Scorecards Here

A total of 1,18,411 students have secured above 60 percent marks in the examination, while 9,961, 24,683 and 83,807 students were graded AA, A+ and A respectively.

The results have been made available on the official website ofWest Bengal Board of Secondary Education at wbbse.wb.gov.in or wbresults.nic.in from 9.45 am.

Students will also be able to check their results through SMS. For checking results through SMS, students will have to send SMS to 56263 or 56070 by writing ‘WB10Your Roll Number’.

Education, Regional, States, West Bengal

Kalimpong with 96.2% pass percentage tops the state :10th Top 5 Toppers of MP Exam

May 2, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

TT, 02 May 2024 :

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has declared the results for the Madhyamik (Class 10) exams today, May 2.

Students can check their scores on wbbse.wb.gov.in and wbresults.nic.in.

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has declared the results for the Madhyamik (class 10) exams today, May 2. Students can check their scores on wbbse.wb.gov.in and wbresults.nic.in.

This year witnessed a significant rise in female candidates, with 25.95% more girls appearing for the exams. With 7,65,252 students passing out of 9,12,598 examinees, the overall pass percentage stands at 86.31%, a slight improvement from last year’s 86.15%.

Latest: WBBSE Madhyamik 10th Result 2024 declared – 86.31 percent students qualify exam.

Topping the charts is Chandrachur Sen from Rambhola High School, Cooch Behar, scoring a remarkable 693 marks (99%). Following closely behind is Samyapriyo Guru from Purulia Zilla School, Purulia, with 692 marks (98.96%). The third position is shared by Udayan Prosad of Balurghat High School, Dakshin Dinajpur, Puspita Basuri of New Integrated Govt School Illambazar, Birbhum, and Nairit Ranjan Pal of Narendrapur R K Mission Vidyalaya, South 24 Parganas, each scoring 691 marks (98.71%).

Tapojyoti Mandal of Kamarpukur R K Mission Multipurpose School, Hooghly, secured the fourth position with 690 marks (98.57%), while Arghyadip Basak of Paruldanga Nasratpur High School, Purba Burdwan, clinched the fifth spot with 689 marks (98.43%).

In terms of districts, Kalimpong emerges as the top performer with a staggering pass percentage of 96.2%, closely followed by East Midnapore at 95.49% and Kolkata at 91.62%.

Education, Regional, States, West Bengal

District-wise WBBSE Madhyamik 2024 toppers; Check full merit list inside!

May 2, 2024 Kalimpong News Leave a comment

District-wise WBBSE Madhyamik 2024 toppers; Check full merit list inside!

Suparna Ghosh, 02 May 2024 : Students who have appeared for Class 10 exams can check their WB Class 10 result 2024 through the official website- wbbse.wb.gov.in

The board has also released the WB Madhyamik toppers list and pass percentage along with the results

The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) announced the WB Class 10 result 2024 today i.e. on 2 May. Students who appeared for Class 10 exams can check their WB Class 10 result 2024 through the official website- wbbse.wb.gov.in.

The board has also released the WB Madhyamik toppers list and pass percentage along with the results. As per the official release, a total of 57 students are in the WB result merit list this year. The topper list includes one student at rank 1, one student at rank 2, 3 students at rank 3, one student at rank 4 and 5. Rank 10 has been shared by 18 students.

WBBSE Madhyamik 2024 Class 10th Top 5 Toppers & Best Districts Revealed!

This year, a total of 910598 students appeared for the Class 10 final examination. Out of which 508698 were female and 403900 were male candidates. Around 7.65 lakh students have passed the examination. The pass percentage is 86.31 per cent.

WB Madhyamik 10th Result 2024: Direct Link

WB Madhyamik Toppers List 2024: District-wise

1. Chandrachur Sen (Coochbehar)

Marks: 693; Percentage: 99%

2. Samyapriya Guru (Purulia)

Marks: 692; Percentage: 98.86%

3. Udayan Prasad (Dakshin Dinajpur)

Marks: 691; Percentage: 98.71%

Pushpita Basuri (Birbhum)

Marks: 691; Percentage: 98.71%

Nairit Ranjan Pal (24 PGS South)

Marks: 691; Percentage: 98.71%

4. Tapajyoti Mandal (Hooghly)

Marks: 690; Percentage: 98.75%

5. Arghyadip Basak (Purba Burdwan)

Marks: 689; Percentage: 98.43%

6. Krishanu Saha (Dakshin Dinajpur)

Marks: 688; Percentage: 98.29%

MD Sahabuddin Ali (Malda)

Marks: 688; Percentage: 98.29%

Koustav Sahoo (Paschim Medinipur)

Marks: 688; Percentage: 98.29%

Olive Gain (24 PGS South)

Marks: 688; Percentage: 98.29%

7. Asif Kamal (Coochbehar)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

Abritti Ghatak (Dakshin Dinajpur)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

Arpita Ghosh (Dakshin Dinajpur)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

Saatwata De (Dakshin Dinajpur)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

Ardtrik Sow (Birbhum)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

Supam Kumar Roy (Purba Medinipur)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

Koustav Mal (Purba Medinipur)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

Alekhya Maity (24 PGS South)

Marks: 687; Percentage: 98.14%

8. Indrani Chakraborty (Purba Burdwan)

Marks: 686; Percentage: 98%

Debjyoti Bhattacharya (Purba Burdwan)

Marks: 686; Percentage: 98%

Tanuka Paul (Paschim Mednipur)

Marks: 686; Percentage: 98%

Hriddhi Mallick (Nadia)

Marks: 686; Percentage; 98%

9. Rounak Ghosh (Dakshin Dinajpur)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Ashmita Chakraborty (Dakshin Dinajpur)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Bishal Chandra Mandal (Malda)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Aminul Islam (Malda)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Chandradip Das (Birbhum)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Arunima Chatterjee (Bankura)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Anwesha Ghosh (Jhargram)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Dhritiman Pal (Paschim Medinipur)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Sayak Sasmal (Purba Medinipur)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Sagar Jana (Purba Medinipur)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Sagnik Ghatak (Purba Medinipur)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Jishnu Das (Nadia)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Ritobrata Nath (24 PGS South)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.86%

Ritwik Dutta (24 PGS South)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.85%

Sayandeep Manna (24 PGS South)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.85%

Aranyadeb Barman (Howrah)

Marks: 685; Percentage: 97.85%

10. Bhowmi Sarkar (Uttar Dinajpur)