'Cold war' over Madhyamik schedule - Hill teachers object to advancing next year's Class X exams

Snowfall in Darjeeling on February 14, 2007

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, June 12: The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has been caught in a "cold" war over the schedule of Madhyamik next year.

Teachers in the Darjeeling hills are up in arms against the secondary board over their decision to start the Madhyamik or school leaving examination from February 1 next year.

Temperatures in Darjeeling are usually around 10 degrees Celsius around that time of the year and because of the cold, most of the schools are closed for three months starting from December. The hill town had even received a snowfall on February 14, 2007.

A board notification issued by Samir Kumar Saha, deputy secretary (examinations), on June 5 this year has notified that the Madhyamik exam would be held from February 1 to 10 in 2016. This year, the school leaving examination had started on February 27.

Tshering Tamang, the general secretary of the Janmukti Secondary Teachers' Organisation, an affiliate of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, today told The Telegraph: "The schedule of examinations is not just surprising but discriminating as well. If schools in the plains are closed because of rise in temperature, it must be understood that our children will face great difficulties in attending classes in biting cold."

The official reason given by the government for advancing the exams next year is the swelter towards the end of February in the plains.

Most of the hill schools start to reopen after the winter vacation from the second and third week of February.

The JSTO has sent a letter to the board appealing for a re-look at the examination schedule.

"Let the exams be conducted as it was done this year," said Roka.

Kalyanmoy Ganguly, administrator of the board, speaking over the phone from Calcutta, admitted that they had received the hill teachers' grievances.

"We have received a letter from Tshering Tamang. Since the education secretary (Arnab Roy) is currently out of station, we have not been able to hold a meeting. I can further speak on the issue only after a meeting is called."