Unprecedented Leadership Shift in West Bengal Education Council

In a surprising turn of events, Chiranjib Bhattacharya, the president of the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, was removed from his position on Friday. Partha Karmakar, a senior academic and mathematics professor, is set to take over the role on March 2, according to insiders within the state's higher education department.

Bhattacharya, who was originally supposed to serve until August, expressed his disappointment over the abrupt decision. "I expected a word of thanks from the government. Instead, an order was issued replacing me. I did not expect such behaviour," he stated to reporters. He also criticized the timing of his removal, given the upcoming publication of the higher secondary examination results in early May.

During his tenure, Bhattacharya had introduced the semester system in school education and had successfully conducted six higher secondary examinations. Despite his dual role as vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University, he maintained that holding two positions was not the reason for his removal. The council had previously encountered issues with a controversial mathematics question paper, which Bhattacharya had addressed by awarding full marks to affected students.