West Bengal’s Tablet Flop: 50,000+ Students Skip HS Exams as Education Slumps
Kolkata | March 6, 2025
The West Bengal government’s much-touted tablet scheme has hit a wall, with over 50,000 recipients skipping the 2025 Higher Secondary (HS) exams—a glaring sign of its failure to draw students into the classroom. As education standards continue to slide, the absenteeism, confirmed by WBCHSE Secretary Priyadarshini Mallik during a North 24 Parganas inspection, paints a grim picture of a state struggling to reverse its academic decline.
Launched in 2020 with a ₹900 crore war chest, the West Bengal Free Tablet Scheme promised to arm 9.5 lakh Class 11 and 12 students with devices or ₹10,000 for online learning. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hailed it as a game-changer. Five years on, with 5% of registered examinees missing the March 3 kickoff, it’s clear the initiative isn’t sparking the academic fire it aimed to ignite.
Mallik, speaking at Habra’s Banipur Baniniketan High School, brushed off the no-shows as typical dropouts. Experts disagree, pinning the blame on a government that’s handed out gadgets but failed to inspire their use. Late distribution—often months before exams—and zero digital literacy support have left students scrolling reels instead of syllabi. “The state’s given them tools but no purpose,” a retired principal told Views Now. “Education’s rotting, and this is proof.”
The HS exams themselves reflect the mess. Metal detectors at 2,089 centers couldn’t stop three students from sneaking in phones, costing them their tests. In Malda, a frisking spat at Chamagram High School turned violent, with candidates attacking teachers—another red flag for a system fraying at the edges.
Critics slam the government for coasting on handouts while standards crumble. Absenteeism is just the tip of the iceberg—dropout rates are climbing, and test scores have lagged for years. Fixes like earlier tablet rollouts, mandatory training, and usage tracking are on the table, but stakeholders doubt a quick turnaround. “They’ve lost the plot,” said Anindya Chatterjee of the Parent-Teacher Association. “Kids aren’t engaged because the system’s given up on them.”
With West Bengal’s education crisis deepening, the tablet debacle isn’t just a misstep—it’s a symptom of a government failing its students, one skipped exam at a time
