The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the AAP government and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to treat as a representation a PIL seeking a waiver of the exam fees for students of classes 10 and 12 in the current academic year in view of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic.
A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan asked the authorities concerned to treat the petition by an NGO as a representation and take a decision in accordance with the law, rules, regulations, and government policy applicable to the facts of the case as early as possible and preferably within three weeks of receiving the court’s order.
With the direction, the bench disposed of the PIL moved by NGO Social Jurist, through advocate Ashok Agarwal, also seeking a direction to the Delhi government to pay the CBSE exam fees of students in its schools.
Agarwal, during the hearing via video conference, told the bench that incomes of many parents, especially those whose kids study in government schools, have suffered or have been lost owing to the pandemic and therefore, they are finding it tough to pay the exam fees which range between Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,500 per student.
Delhi government told the court that it cannot, this year, afford to foot the bill of the students’ exam fees as it did last year as the amount is over Rs 100 crore.
It told the bench that it has written to CBSE to waive the exam fees for the current academic year.
Source: PTI
Read: West Bengal: School cites govt circular, urges HC not to pass any order on fee hike
Also read: DU college teachers boycott online classes to protest ‘non-payment’ of funds
Also read: Mumbai: Private company promises discount in fees, several parents complain