Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Board has announced almost sixfold increase in the examination fees for High School and Intermediate examinations in 2020.
While the fees for High School examinations has been raised from Rs 80 to Rs 500, that for Intermediate has gone up from Rs 90 to Rs 600.
As per an official release, private students appearing in UP Board High School examinations will now pay Rs 700 instead of Rs 200 as exam fees and those appearing in Intermediate examinations will be charged Rs 800 instead of Rs 220.
Candidates will have to deposit the fees to their school principal by August 15.
In April, the UP Board had increased the re-evaluation fee by five times.
UP Board officials said the reason for the steep hike in examination fees was to bring it at par with the exam fees of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) to some extent.
A UP Board official said, “We are still not charging as much fee as the CBSE or the CISCE as majority of our students come from rural background.”
In the CBSE, class X and class XII students are required to pay Rs 750 as examination fees for five subjects. A fee of Rs 100 is charged if they opt for an additional subject. The examination fees for ICSE and ISC students is Rs 1,500.
Meanwhile, state president of Madhyamik Vittavihin Shikshak Mahasabha (Secondary Self-financed Teachers’ Association), Umesh Dwivedi, said, “At a time when the government talks about providing free food and uniforms to all, the hike in examination fees is too steep for students.”