Chennai: Heads of govt and aided schools must no longer collect exam fee or question paper charges, the school education department has announced.
Usually, school heads collect ₹100 to ₹150 per student as exam-related fees. Further, they can make use of the helpline 108 to flag the issue,” an official with the school education department said, adding that strict action will be taken against erring school heads. “Though the amount is meagre (less than ₹500), students continue to pay for getting scanned copies of their answer sheets.
The govt can incur these expenses as well,” said S Arumainathan, president, TN Students Parents Welfare Association. The amount is sent to a district coordinator, usually a HM, and subsequently to the printing press where the question papers are printed. Every school maintains a record of the amount collected. Chief education officers have been instructed to receive complaints in this regard and take appropriate action. “Students, along with their parents, can approach the CEO’s office and lodge a formal complaint if the fee is collected. Student welfare activists welcomed the move, adding that schools must also incur revelation expenses faced by higher secondary school students. For select subjects like Biology, the revaluation cost is higher as well.