The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) has directed 50 government schools that have failed to complete registration or rectify student data within the stipulated deadline to pay a penalty of ₹5,000 per student by Monday.
The schools that violated the deadline were summoned for a hearing on Friday to inquire about the delays so that students in these schools are able to appear for the 2026 Madhyamik examination.
The Board stated that the penalty had been set in accordance with a Calcutta High Court order, adding that the explanations provided by school heads were not satisfactory.
The authorities found that of the 50 government schools that have erred in the exercise, some have a maximum of 43 students pending enrolment for the board examination. They also noted that at least 25 schools have attempted to register students from previous cohorts without completing the required procedures on time.
While most institutions completed the registration process by September, several schools have failed to register even their Class X students within the extended deadline.
Ramanuj Ganguly, president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, told The Indian Express, “We are not doing anything outside the instruction of the court. There are students from 2024. All of them should have been registered. But in November 2025, we are being told they are yet to be registered. We have given the schools enough time. Out of 9,300 plus government and government-aided schools, only 50 schools have not registered their students. Why should we indulge them? This is regarding the future of the students, so it is the responsibility of the schools.“
Ganguly described the schools’ approach as their inefficiency. “We do not want any harassment for the students. We have not implemented any new rules. We have given them so many opportunities. For the last 10 months, the procedure was on so why did they miss out?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Chandan Maiti, general secretary of the Advanced Society for Headmaster and Headmistress (AFSHM), slammed the move as a kind of harassment and stated that the Board was behaving like a corporate structure. He alleged that there is a fund crunch in the schools, and hence, it is not possible for the schools or the students to pay such hefty penalties.
“The schools had registered, but that was not accepted; the schools were harassed as a kind of punishment. The government school does not get grants. There are so many initiatives, such as midday meals, to Kanyashree, to free uniforms, bags, and books. The schools provide everything from cycles to electricity. So there is a huge financial burden. Where will the school get the funds to pay the fine? We have written to the Chief Minister in this regard,“ Maiti told The Indian Express.
The letter stated that for the past several years, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has been consistently imposing unjustified and increasing financial burdens on educational institutions under various pretexts.
According to them, the transferred students are charged exorbitantly, while many institutions are being forced to deposit over Rs 1 lakh for 25–30 such students. Schools are being compelled to pay ₹5,000 for each student for those whose registration is delayed or whose registration originates from distant schools, they said.
Secondly, institutions facing delays in the renewal of recognition are being fined ₹2,000 per year, sometimes amounting to several lakhs of rupees, amongst other allegations.
“Over the past 15 years, the WBBSE has been functioning under an ad-hoc committee, without adhering to democratic norms. Meetings with recognised teachers’ organisations have nearly stopped,” Maiti alleged.
According to Maiti, schools have not been permitted to collect more than ₹240 per student for nearly 15 years.
At a time when electricity bills and maintenance costs have increased drastically, financial support from the School Education Department has become almost negligible.
“Vacancies of teachers and non-teaching staff have crossed 50 per cent in many institutions. Schools are struggling to function while fulfilling numerous government project-related responsibilities. Given this alarming situation, we have requested the Chief Minister’s immediate intervention to restrain the uncontrolled and unjust financial collections being imposed by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education,” he said.
Although a senior officer of the Board stated that ensuring students’ smooth participation in the examination was non-negotiable and that the penalty was intended to deter future lapses, several school heads alleged that the circumstances differed from school to school for the delay.
Marathi language activists and political groups questioned the need for Hindi testing in a state where Marathi is the official language. (File Photo) 
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