The Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE, the national education board which conducts certificate examinations for Classes 10 and 12, has increased the annual examination fees based on 'no profit no loss principle', Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told the Rajya Sabha today. Barring schools of the Delhi government, the fee hike by the CBSE is from Rs 750 to Rs 1,200, the Human Resource Development Minister said during Question Hour in the Upper House.
The minister was responding to a question asked by the Congress member Selja Kumari in the Parliament.
After being criticized about the fee hike, the Board had said earlier that a deficit of over Rs. 200 crore in conducting examinations for Classes 10 and 12 has forced it to go ahead with the decision.
"The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has increased the examination fees of class X and XII Board examination 2020, on no profit no loss principle, from Rs 750/- to Rs 1500/- for all categories of students, including SC/ST candidates for all schools in whole of India, except for schools of Delhi Government," the minister said.
"For 1299 schools of Delhi Government, examination fee for all categories of Class X students has been increased from Rs 375/- to Rs 1200/- and for Class XII students from Rs 600/- to Rs 1200/-. Thus, the examination fee for Class X and Class XII has not been increased by 2300 percent," he added.
The minister also said the CBSE is a self-financed and self-reliant Board and generates its own resources.
"It does not take any funds from the Consolidated Fund of India or any other authority for its expenses," the minister said in his reply.
"There has never been a distinction (except in case of Delhi) between different categories of students in the matter of payment of examination fees. All categories, including SC, ST, General, OBC, etc., have always paid the same fees. The fee paid includes the fee for additional subject, if any offered, by any student," he said.
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