WBBSE stands for West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Under the West Bengal Secondary Education Act, of 1951, the WBBSE was founded. The board in its current form was established in January 1964, with Dr. J.C. Sengupta as Chairman. The Board's goal is to provide education that will help children develop positive attitudes, talents, and traits that will lead them to a brighter future. In addition, the Board's goal is to provide all students with a high-quality education that is affordable and accessible. In addition to administering the Class 10 (Madhyamik) examinations, the Board is responsible for developing the curriculum, generating textbooks, and issuing recommendations to associated schools.
Secondary schools supported by the government
Secondary schools that are not funded by the government
DA obtaining secondary schools
Anglo-Indian secondary schools getting DA
Private schools that are unsupported
Government schools
The board began its journey in 1951, taking over 1,270 high schools from Calcutta University. The board now oversees around 11,000 junior high and high schools, up from 2,312 at the end of 1963. The number of applicants taking the secondary exam has increased by leaps and bounds as the number of recognised schools has increased. The board handled 42,000 pupils in its initial school leaving test in 1952, which grew to a whopping 10,66,000 in 2019.
The board's efforts to support women's education must also be addressed in this context. It is apparent that the proportion of question girls enrolled in the 2020 Madhyamik test was 56.7%, while the percentage of boys was 43.8%.
Not only has the number of schools in pupils expanded rapidly over the years but so has the scope of its operations. The board is no longer only an exam regulator. WBBSE has recently undergone a thorough makeover in its essential function as a steersman in school education. The board has established some directives in relation to improving educational quality, ensuring discipline and time schedules of daily classes, and ensuring minimum learning outcomes as per the RTE 2009 amendment.
To adequately equip teachers, to carry out their daily duties and to achieve the intended learning outcomes, the board holds several workshops and in-service training. Responding to time, the board has redesigned secondary curricula with the assistance of an independent panel of experts on several occasions. With a national and international perspective in mind, the board has released exam books for all grades 6 to 10. Aside from taking on the publication of textbooks for various courses, the board gives clearance to books published by multiple private publishing firms for secondary-level students.