HS Edu Council announces ban on use of calculators

MP, 30 Aug 2024, Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced a ban on the use of calculators in all examinations, including practical, under the new semester system. 

The council introduced the semester system for classes XI and XII starting from the academic years 2024-25 and 2025-26, respectively. According to the council’s notification, this prohibition will apply to all semesters of class XI and XII. 

Students are advised not to bring calculators into the exam hall or venue premises. Council has warned that possession of calculators during exams will be considered a violation of regulations and will result in disciplinary action. 

According to Chiranjib Bhattacharya, president of WBCHSE, this move aligns with national standards, as calculators are prohibited in semester-based examinations at the national level. 

However, the last yearly Higher Secondary Examination (Ucchamadhyamik) to be held in 2025 will not be subject to this prohibition. Council clarified that the examinees of the said exam will be allowed to use calculators as per the previous norms. 

This prohibition is part of the newly-published Examination and Admission Regulations for Higher Secondary Education. Detailed regulations are available on the council’s official website. In this new semester system, the students of class XI-XII will have two provisions to help them qualify. 

Firstly, credit transfer. If a candidate falls short of the minimum pass marks in a compulsory subject by less than 5 per cent of full marks, marks can be transferred from another compulsory subject, in which the student got highest marks. Secondly, subject interchange. 

If a candidate fails in a compulsory elective subject, but has passed in optional elective subject, they will be declared passed by giving the candidate the benefit of interchanging the compulsory elective subject as the optional elective subject. However, these provisions will only be applicable for Semester II and Semester IV, not for every semester. 

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