Education System in West Bengal: Has it reduced to a farce?

Recently, the West Bengal Government has taken a decision that it will make the examination system till Class VIII optional. This decision has raked up controversies in the civil society. Many are of the opinion that the education system in West Bengal has reduced to a farce and situation is getting worse day by day and there is no solution in sight.

Certain sections of the educated people, intelligentsia, and scholars are saying that the time has come to make a drastic change in the education policy of West Bengal or else, the situation will entirely go out of control.  

Historically, the education system in West Bengal has been plagued by a number of problems. First, the government took a decision of introducing English from Class VI in Bengali Medium Schools. This resulted in bad performance by the students of Bengali Medium Schools in competitive exams where English is compulsory. Previously, students could study engineering and medical if they secured a good rank in the Joint Entrance Examination. Now, students can study engineering and medical despite a low rank in JEE if they have money.

The situation of the effectiveness of the education system in West Bengal has raised a question once the government decided that it would abolish the examination system. Many think that this would make things worse since there is no way to assess the proficiency of the student. The students will face difficulties once they appear for the exams in Class IX and higher classes.

The absence of screening or testing the aptitude of students will create a huge problem. They will not be able to test their ability at a young age and because of this, they will have problems in choosing the stream of higher education in the future. The state will fall behind other Indian states which have not made the exam system optional or abolished it.

Moreover, students don’t attend classes and instead go to private tuitions where they get suggestions and probable questions from the private tutors. Teachers of government schools and colleges don’t attend classes and conduct private tuitions since it helps them earn more money in quick time. As a consequence, students who are poor and don’t have the money to study at private tuition centers get deprived.

Educators think that the education system in West Bengal should undergo a total overhaul and examination system should be introduced in every class. However, there are doubts that any major change will take place in the near future.   

By Susmit Bharadwaj