বাংলায় পড়ুন
The West Bengal Higher Secondary Education Council (WBCHSE) has announced that starting next year, exams at the higher secondary level will be conducted following a semester system. To facilitate this transition, the council will provide online training sessions for teachers on how to teach under the semester system. It has been reported that these training sessions will commence in early June, with the expected participation of around 1,000 teachers simultaneously.
Chiranjib Bhattacharya, the president of the Higher Secondary Education Council, stated that contact information such as phone numbers and emails of subject-based teachers from every school has been collected. These teachers will undergo training on online platforms. Moreover, special permissions have been granted to increase the number of participants to ensure swift completion of the training.
Following the summer break, schools will reopen on June 3rd. Hence, the necessity for such training sessions for teachers was felt well in advance. Along with the introduction of the new semester system, there have been changes in the curriculum and teaching methods. Consequently, new textbooks have also been introduced.
Sumana Sengupta, a teacher at Belgachia Monohar Academy, emphasised the urgency of training for teachers to adapt to the new curriculum, examination methods, and textbooks. With schools reopening on June 3rd and subsequent commencement of classes for eleventh graders, the lack of textbooks for the first semester poses a challenge. Hence, timely guidance on teaching under the semester system is imperative.
On the other hand, Animesh Haldar, leader of the Secondary Education Teachers' and Employees' Association, stressed the importance of conducting training well in advance before implementing the new semester system. He raised concerns about network issues in many areas, questioning how teachers would receive online training. Additionally, he highlighted the plight of temporary teachers who might not have access to such training.
Chiranjib further informed that offline training sessions have already been conducted for head teachers of schools regarding the new semester system. Additionally, textbooks aligned with the approved curriculum by the West Bengal Higher Secondary Education Council have started to arrive on the market, aiding teachers in familiarising themselves with the new syllabus.
He assured everyone that simultaneous training for a thousand participants would facilitate rapid progress. Recently, offline training for head teachers in Kolkata district has concluded, with training for head teachers from North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas districts scheduled to begin soon.
Chiranjib also mentioned that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) have not yet implemented the semester system at the higher secondary level nationwide. Therefore, West Bengal becomes one of the first boards in the country to introduce the semester system at the higher secondary level. Despite initial challenges, he expressed optimism that these issues would be resolved swiftly.
