West Bengal to introduce semester system in Class 11 from 2024-25 session

NEW DELHI: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) announced that it will be implementing a semester system in Class 11 starting from the academic session 2024-25 and eventually in Class 12 from 2025-26. The council received the permission of state school education department to introduce the system at higher secondary level in schools.

“On behalf of West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, we are glad to announce that the school education department, government of West Bengal, has given us the permission to introduce the semester system at the higher secondary level from the academic session 2024-25 for Class 11 and subsequently from the academic session 2025-26 for Class 12,” said council president Chiranjib Bhattacharjee in an official notification.

The council added that detailed syllabus and semester-wise implementation strategy will be uploaded soon.

WBCHSE proposal

In October last year, the West Bengal school education department decided to form a committee consisting of four members to develop a framework and timeline for implementation of the semester system in higher classes. The panel included commissioner of school education, council president, joint director of school education Chinmoyee Pattanayak, and a member of the council. The panel had to submit the report in November.

The responsibilities of the committee included examining the proposal, considering the prevailing practices on the subject and decisions taken for the academic sessions in line with the state education policy.

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WBCHSE president had submitted a proposal for introduction of semester in Class 11. The education department felt the need to examine the proposal in the context of state education policy while keeping in mind the methodologies adopted by other boards across the country.

The State Education Policy, notified by the West Bengal government on September 5, emphasized the need to introduce semester system in a phased manner in order to reduce the burden on students.