“Statistics suggest that 12 per cent students are enrolled in Science stream. We are yet to ascertain the number of schools that offer courses in Science. The final figure can be arrived at only after the the higher secondary results are declared this year,” said Onkar Sadhan Adhikari, president, West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education.

According to department officials, nearly 3,500 of the 4,333 higher secondary schools in the state offer only Humanities. Acknowledging the problem, the school education department has decided to upgrade 307 new schools to higher secondary status, but with a rider: these schools have to open Science streams.

“We will give preference to schools that open Science streams,” said state School Education Minister Partha De.