On Thursday, The Directorate of Education, Delhi, wrote to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) requesting to waive off the board examination fees of all the students of Classes 10 and 12 studying in the government schools for the academic session of 2021-22.
DoE director Udit Prakash Rai said, “Keeping in view the COVID situation in the country, they have been receiving many requests from parents expressing their inability to pay examination fees due to loss of income due to the ongoing pandemic.”
In the letter written on September 23, Rai requested to “waive-off the examination fee of all the students of classes X & XII studying in all the government, government-aided, Patrachar Vidyalaya, New Delhi Municipal Council, Delhi Cantonment Board and Department of Social Welfare schools for the current Academic session 2021-22 as a one-time measure”.
“After a long time, formal education has started once again in schools. Now, the problems regarding paying the Central Board of Secondary Education examination fee have emerged before the parents,” the letter read.
According to government officials, CBSE has yet to reply to the letter. The pandemic has unleashed a state of crisis in the country. The number of economic losses, failing businesses, and cutting jobs has been increasing.
Many families have lost their close ones, and the economic impact has left many families with single breadwinners with no means of employment.
In October 2020, The AAP government had written to the CBSE seeking a waiver of the examination fee for students of classes 10 and 12 in its schools, citing the rationale of the financial crunch in the initial months following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, CBSE had announced waiving off the exam and the registration fees of students who lost parents due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The authorities rolled this provision as a particular measure for this session.
The Central Board for Secondary Examination said in its notification, “CBSE as a special measure for the academic session 2021-22, has decided that neither examination fees nor the registration fee will be charged by the board from the students(s) who have lost parents, or surviving parent or legal guardian/adoptive parents due to Covid-19 pandemic.”
CBSE had directed the schools to provide the details of such students while submitting the list of candidates (LOC). The first-term examinations will take place in November-December. Thus, the board has instructed all the schools and principals to submit the LOC by September 30.
As per a report by Indian Express, Schools in India will have to pay Rs. 1500 as application fees per candidate for five subjects, and schools outside India will pay Rs 10000 per candidate for five subjects.
Schools have to pay Rs 1200 for five subjects for SC/ST candidates of government schools of Delhi. Each candidate has to pay Rs. 300 for additional/ optional subjects for schools in India and Rs 2000 for schools outside India.
The All-India Parents Association has been campaigning and asking state authorities to bear the costs due to economic crises caused by COVID-19.
