After CBSE fee hike, Delhi Government aks DoE to reduce burden on all students, mulls setting up its own board

CBSE Board Examination 2020  |  Photo Credit: PTI

New Delhi: After the Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE increased the examination fee, Delhi Government has been directed by the Deputy Chief Minister and also the Education Minister to work out the ways to lessen the burden on the students. Sisodia is also mulling setting up a board for Delhi. At present, all the schools in Delhi are affiliated to CBSE.

CBSE recently initiated the process for filling of application forms of CBSE 10 12 Board Examination 2020. This year, the board has hiked the examination fees from Rs. 150 per subject to Rs. 300, effectively making it about Rs. 1500 per student for the standard 5 subjects. The fees fro SC/ ST students has also been revised from Rs. 350 to Rs. 1200. CBSE has done so to manage the extensive losses it has suffered.

A large chunk of the Rs. 350 (Rs. 300) was borne by the Delhi Government and the students were required to pay only Rs. 50 as the fee. The board announced it’s decision to collect the fee from the students directly and suggested that the Delhi Government may find means to directly reimburse the students.

Considering the hike, which the board has levied, and also that Delhi forms a major chunk of the CBSE student pool, the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has asked the education department to work out a formula that would ensure that the students would not have to bear the burden of the increased fees. Related | CBSE fee hike: CBSE Exam Registration Fees vs Other Boards' Fee - Is CBSE the costliest board

"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 government has directed the education department not only to work out the means of reducing the burden on the reserved category students but also on general category students.

A government official noted, “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."