Protests broke out in different parts of Tripura recently over poor results of Vidyajyoti schools in the CBSE exams. In many areas, Opposition CPI(M) and Congress also spearheaded the protests. Notably, the BJP-led government changed the affiliation of 125 state-run schools from the Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 2022. Only 61 per cent of students who appeared in the Class 10 CBSE exam from the Vidyajyoti schools this year managed to pass it. Whereas the pass percentage for the Class 12 exam is 55 per cent. Opposition Leader and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury blamed former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb and ex-education minister Ratanlal Nath for the poor results. Senior Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman accused Deb and certain education department officials of misappropriating funds under the Vidyajyoti scheme. CPI(M) student wing SFI and Tripura Students’ Union (TSU) criticised the decision to transform Bengali-medium schools into English-medium ones under the Vidyajyoti project without ‘proper planning and lack of qualified teachers’. They protested outside the Siksha Bhawan in Agartala on Saturday. Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Manik Saha, who also holds the education portfolio, said he would raise the issue with education department officials soon. Tripura BJP chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said he was aware of the poor results but added that the government was taking steps to ensure that students fare well in the improvement examination scheduled to be held in a month or two.
