Kolkata, Feb. 2 -- As many as 45 schools failed to collect admit cards for 50 candidates enrolled under a special last-minute window ahead of the Madhyamik Examination 2026, despite repeated opportunities provided by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), officials said.

The board had reopened its online enrolment portal from noon on January 27 to noon on January 28 to accommodate eligible students left out due to school-level lapses. During the 24-hour window, 954 schools enrolled 1,966 candidates. However, by 8 pm on January 31, 86 schools that had enrolled 103 students had not collected the admit cards.

After the list of defaulting schools was circulated, WBBSE allowed a final opportunity on February 1 (Sunday), a day before the examination began, asking heads of institutions or their authorised representatives to collect admit cards. While several schools complied, 45 failed to turn up, leaving 50 candidates without admit cards.

A district-wise break-up showed that seven such schools were in North Dinajpur, six in Malda, five in North 24-Parganas and four in Alipurduar. Three schools each were in Jalpaiguri, Bankura and Birbhum. Two schools each were in Kolkata, Nadia, Murshidabad, East Burdwan and South 24-Parganas, while one school each was in Purulia, Jhargram and Darjeeling.

Board officials said that even when admit cards were collected on Sunday, serious procedural lapses were noticed. In several cases, heads of institutions sent relatives, such as sons or nephews, instead of appearing personally or deputing authorised representatives.

"In such situations, refusing outright would have affected students, while issuing admit cards without authorisation would place responsibility on the board," a WBBSE official said. In limited cases, admit cards were issued after obtaining written undertakings and verifying available identity documents of the persons who had come to collect them.

In another case, a school admitted that an application had been submitted merely to test the online system, resulting in the enrolment of an ineligible candidate.

The board said disciplinary proceedings would be initiated against the defaulting schools.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.