Hardly five days after the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) announced to introduce a semester system at the government and aided primary schools (from Classes I to V) on 28 December, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asked to withdraw the WBBPE’s decision.

The chief minister also pulled up the state education minister Bratya Basu for taking such a decision, without consulting her.

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While holding an administrative review meeting with ministers and top officials of the respective departments at Nabanna today Miss Banerjee expressed her annoyance over the move by the state primary board to introduce semester system at the primary level in state-run schools, sources at the state secretariat said.

Mr Basu was present at the meeting. The CM asked Mr Basu why and how did the board take such a decision without informing her and state chief secretary Manoj Pant.

While replying to Miss Banerjee, Mr Basu said, “We have already submitted a decision to the chief secretary and the notification won’t be implemented if you (chief minister) don’t approve it.”

Miss Banerjee reacted strongly soon after getting the reply from the education minister and asked the latter, “How did it (decision to introduce semesters) come in newspapers if there was no approval from us? The message in connection with the board’s decision has already been sent to people through media reports.”

With the directive of the chief minister, the education minister announced that the semester system won’t be introduced in primary level education in government and aided-schools across the state.

Miss Banerjee, while clarifying her stand against the semester system, said, “They want to introduce it at a time I want to reduce pressure of study among toddlers who are learning ‘twinkle twinkle little star’. No semester will be there in primary education.”

She also clarified her stand in the meeting that her approval is a must before any policy decision.

On 28 December, the WBBPE president Prof Goutam Pal during a press conference announced the introduction of the semester system in primary schools with effect from January 2025.

Under the system an academic year was supposed to be split into two semesters. The primary students would have been assessed through six examinations – a combination of formative and summative assessments – over the semesters once the system is implemented as per the board’s decision.