New Delhi: A day after the CBSE increased the fees of Class 10 and 12 board examinations, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, on Monday, said he has directed the education department to work out a formula so that students do not have to bear the burden of paying the hiked fee.
Noting that the Delhi government is the biggest stakeholder of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Mr Sisodia said if things continue like this, the government may consider having its own board.
The CBSE, on Sunday, increased the fees of Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations by upto Rs 1,150—the first hike in the last five years. The fees for general category students for both Class 10 and 12 have been doubled from Rs 750 to Rs 1,500 for five subjects.
The SC and ST students, who were paying Rs 350 earlier, will now pay Rs 1,200 for five subjects, the CBSE said.
“Our officials had a meeting with CBSE officials and urged them not to hike the examination fee as it will be a burden on the students. Delhi is the biggest stakeholder of CBSE and our opinion should be valued. This way, we might be forced to consider having our own board,” said Mr Sisodia.
The minister also said that the Directorate of Education (DoE) has been asked to work out the formula on how to ease the burden on students. Till now, the SC/ST students were only paying Rs 50, while the Delhi government was paying the rest of the amount as subsidy.
The controller of examination, Sanyam Bhardwaj, said: “Earlier in Delhi, SC/ST students used to pay Rs 50 and the Delhi government paid the rest. Now, the CBSE will take Rs 1,200 entirely from the students. If the Delhi government reimburses them or pays for them, it is an internal arrangement between schools and the Delhi government.”
The Delhi government officials, however, said they will work out the modalities within a few days.
