DHARWAD: A school in Dharwad has collected money from students, saying that it has to make payments towards the benches taken on rent for the SSLC examinations.
For those who are appearing for the exams at Prabudev Aided School at Honnapur in Dharwad taluk, it’s compulsory to shell out Rs 100. Only after which, he/she gets hall tickets. In the last three days, the school has collected money from 36 students.
Students who paid the money said the school where they are studying does not have an examination centre and hence, they have to go to Mugud village to appear for the exams. “The principal asked us to give money saying that the money was being collected towards rent of benches hired for SSLC exams,” said a student. It is said that most of the students were keen on having their hall tickets did not bother to argue or question the principal. However, a section of students protested asking to show the government order for collecting money from the students.
“We cannot dare to question the principal the reason for collecting money. But when some parents started questioning, the principal did not had any answer and agreed to return the money,” the student added.
Not first time
Villagers in Honnapur say every year, the school authorities collect money from students while issuing hall tickets. A number of school ‘raise’ funds stating that they have to pay to the examination squads and supervisors to set the students free to do malpractice during the examinations.
Villagers have now asked the school authorities to consult the village heads and the GP members before taking any such steps. “It’s clear that there has been no government order or circular from the Education Department to collect money from students. Some students fear harassment during exams as they are argued over paying Rs 100,” a student said.
Shrishial Karikatti, Rural Block Education officer, said the department was unaware of money collection and assured of taking action. “There is no provision to collect money from students. But in special cases, some schools have collected funds from students only after the consent of villagers,” he said.