Delhi High Court seeks CBSE, Centre, AAP govt response on plea against rise in Board exam fees

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice over a petition against the rise in the examination fees demanded by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) from the students of Class X and XII for registration in the Board Examinations.

A division bench of the high court presided by Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the CBSE, Delhi Government and the Central government over a plea filed by an association called the Parents Forum for Meaningful Education.

The plea filed through advocates P.S. Sharda and Kshitij Sharda the CBSE for the year 2019-2020 arbitrarily enhanced its examination fee for Class X and Class XII Board examination by two folds as compared to the year 2017- 2018 and several folds as compared to the year 2014-2015.

The fee effectively translates to about Rs. 2400 in case of practical science and additional subject option case and increases by 2400% in case of sc/st students, the petitioner said.

"Due to inability to afford the blatantly arbitrary enhancement of fee by poor stakeholders of government and aided schools under R2 (Delhi government), it wisely met the fee obligation to R1 for academic year 2019-2020 and assured the stakeholders that it would have the same sorted out for future to avoid repeat of this malady in future," the plea read.

The plea further stated that it has emerged that the Delhi government has not only failed to sort out the matter as promised last year but this year it has declined to meet the steep fee obligation thereby abandoning lakhs of children in class X and XII in its schools.

"This has directly hit children hailing from economically poor sections who are from economically weak and deprived sections of society studying in the government and aided schools in class X and Class XII under R2 and are consequently imperilled and if not rescued will get left abandoned which cannot be acceptable to any responsible state," the plea stated.

The plea has sought court's direction to the Delhi government to permanently sort out the matter of payment of the fee for students in its school for the Board Examination for Class X and Class XII with other Respondents 1 (CBSE) and 3 (Central government) to protect their eligibility to take the Board Examination conducted by the CBSE.

The plea also sought the court's direction for establishing an empowered committee to examine and submit a report to this Hon'ble Court for necessary standards and standards for their implementation: for fixation of norms of fee for Board Examination by R1 for the children studying in the schools run by the Delhi government.

The petitioner organisation has also asked the court to direct the Central government to intervene and direct CBSE to pass necessary directions in matter of fee demanded from children studying in schools of Delhi government for academic year 2020-2021 ensuring that no prejudice is caused to eligibility of any child taking Board Examination for the year 2021 for class X and XII in schools run of R2 on account of non payment of such fee.