Academic policy decisions — whether for school, college or university education – take inordinately long to fructify in West Bengal (pop. 80 million), the eastern seaboard state which has been governed for over three decades by the Left Front government headed by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM). In July 2005, exactly three years ago, well-meaning apolitical academics had proposed that the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education’s school leaving class X exam be brought on a par with the CISCE and CBSE boards, by testing class X students on the class X curriculum rather than classes IX and X. The rationale behind this pro-pupil proposal is that the current WBSE class X exam load is too vast and cumbersome. Therefore the two-year run up to the secondary exam ought to be “split” to reduce the stress of class X students.
But the Left Front government’s education ministry will have none of it. It strongly opposes the notion of any “split” or “bifurcation”. According to the academic grapevine this vehement government opposition to an eminently sensible proposition is due to the unwillingness of the CPM to antagonise private tutors who rake in small fortunes by coaching students privately — and illegally — beyond school hours.
Given that 736,756 students wrote the WBSE class X exam in February-March 2008, the stakes involved are huge. A dipstick check by your correspondent indicates that class X students — even from ‘poor’ families — typically engage three tutors to coach them in “tough subjects” like mathematics, physics, life science (chemistry), geography and history at Rs.500 per month per subject. This adds up to over 2 million tutors collectively raking in a mind-boggling Rs.100 crore per year. Since CPM supporters have a monopoly over teachers’ jobs in urban areas and districts alike, the party is unwilling to risk incurring the wrath of 2 million voters who would be more than cheesed off, if the long-entrenched combined curriculum (classes IX and X) is lightened.
Unsurprisingly teachers’ unions have solidly endorsed the party’s refusal to split the combined classes IX and X syllabus. “We are opposed to the proposal to bifurcate the syllabus because the course has been designed in that way,” says Aparesh Bhattacharya, senior member of the All Bengal Teachers’ Association. “We will never allow this to happen.”
Veteran academic Sunanda Sanyal explains: “There is continuity between what is taught in class IX and in class X. So the final assessment should be on what is taught in these two classes.” And respected academic Dr. Amal Mukhopadhaya, retired principal of Presidency College, Kolkata, also endorses the status quo to maintain academic standards. “Any attempt to make the school education system easier should be discouraged,” he says.
Inevitably WBSE officials are circumspect in their remarks. (After all, the board is administered by the state government.) “A final decision has not been taken yet,” says Dr. Mamata Ray, president of WBSE.
Clearly, the chances of rationalisation of the school leaving syllabus are dim, even if national examination boards (CISCE and CBSE) as well as some state boards (e.g. Maharashtra) have acce-pted the proposal. In communist ruled West Bengal, the party’s interests are paramount. Even if little children suffer.
Sujoy Gupta (Kolkata)