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 the 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), Sisodia said if things continue like this, the government may consider having its own board.
CBSE on Sunday increased the fees of Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations by up to Rs 1,150, the first hike in the last five years. The fees for general category students for both Class 10 and 12 were 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 burden 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," Sisodia told PTI.
The minister also said that the Directorarate 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.
A government official, however, said that the department has been asked to work a proposal to ensure that the Delhi government can ease the burden on students from reserved categories as well as from the general category.
Controller of Examination Sanyam Bhardwaj had 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 official, however, said they will work out the modalities within a few days.
"The department is working on a proposal that they will put up shortly. Our officials had met CBSE a fortnight ago and requested them not to hike the fee but now that they have done it.
"We will either ask the CBSE to reconsider their decision or we will work out the modalities to pay the subsidy. We will ensure the students do not have to face the financial burden," the official said.
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