WB Higher Secondary sees 19% drop in girls, Madhyamik-HS gap raises alarm

The number of girls appearing for the state board's Higher Secondary examination in West Bengal this year has seen a significant drop. This raises the question of whether girls are losing interest in taking this exam. The issue becomes even more crucial as the number of girls appearing for the "Higher Secondary" examination conducted by the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) in March this year is considerably lower than the number of girls who appeared for the "Madhyamik" examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) last year.

According to data from the State Education Department, in 2023, a total of 3,42,902 girls appeared for the Madhyamik examination. However, for the Higher Secondary examination scheduled for March this year, only 2,77,992 girls have registered. This means that 64,910 girls have opted out of the exam. In other words, compared to the number of girls who appeared for the 2023 Madhyamik examination, there has been a 19% decrease in the number of girls appearing for the Higher Secondary examination this year.

One of the primary reasons cited for this decline is girls dropping out of school. While some students might have shifted to other boards, experts believe that a significant number of girls are discontinuing their education after Madhyamik. This trend is also reflected in the data related to the "Kanyashree" scheme, a government initiative aimed at encouraging girls to pursue higher education by providing a monthly financial assistance of ₹1,000.

In the 2023-24 academic year, 20.69 lakh girls were receiving monthly scholarships under this scheme. However, with just one month left for the 2024-25 academic year to end, the number of beneficiaries has dropped to only 15.75 lakh.

The state government has made a marginal increase in the budget allocation for higher education for 2025-26. This year, ₹6,593.58 crore has been proposed for higher education, which is slightly higher than ₹6,401.11 crore allocated in 2024-25. These figures paint a worrying picture of girls' education in the state, raising concerns about why such a large number of girls are dropping out after Madhyamik.