Income certificate costlier than exam fee

metro india news I hyderabad

The School Education Department is facing criticism for continuing to enforce outdated rules that are defeating the very purpose of providing examination fee concessions to poor SC, ST and BC students appearing for the Class 10 examinations.

Students have to pay an examination fee of Rs.125. However, they are exempted from paying it if they submit an income certificate. Obtaining the certificate, however, costs more than Rs.500 when application charges at MeeSeva centres, travel expenses for two or three visits, and photocopying costs are included. Parents also lose their daily wages while making these visits. As a result, lakhs of poor students are unable to avail themselves of the concession.

Outdated income limits

The rules introduced nearly 20 years ago continue to be implemented despite the substantial increase in family incomes over the years.

Under the existing norms, students must pay the examination fee by November 16 to appear for the examinations without a late fee. SC, ST and BC students are eligible for exemption if their family income falls below the prescribed annual limits. For urban students, the annual family income should be below Rs.24,000, equivalent to just Rs.2,000 a month. For rural students, the limit is Rs.20,000 a year, or around Rs.1,666 a month.

These limits are far below present-day earnings. Even a worker employed under the rural employment guarantee scheme earns Rs.240 a day. With the Government providing 125 days of work, the annual income amounts to Rs.30,000. Earnings in urban areas are generally higher.

Revenue officials are reportedly reluctant to issue certificates for such low income limits, fearing that doing so could invite trouble for them. Without the certificate, students have no option but to pay the examination fee.

Application costs exceed exam fee

Teachers question the continuation of rules that assume a family can survive on a monthly income of just Rs.2,000. Even an unskilled daily-wage worker can earn around Rs.15,000 a month.

Applying for an income certificate at a MeeSeva centre costs around Rs.45. Travel by bus or auto for two or three visits, along with photocopying expenses, takes the total cost beyond Rs.500. Parents also lose wages worth Rs.300 to Rs.500 while visiting the MRO office. Thus, obtaining the certificate can cost at least Rs.500.

Consequently, many parents prefer to pay the Rs.125 examination fee rather than spend more money and time securing the certificate.

In the past, the school headmaster would fill in an application and visit the concerned MRO office to obtain the income certificate on behalf of the student. That practice is no longer followed.

Teachers want Govt to pay fee

Nearly 1.8 lakh students are studying in Class 10 in government schools across the State. Of them, around 85 per cent belong to SC, ST and BC communities and are potentially eligible for the concession. However, because of the unrealistic income limits, fewer than 10 per cent are reportedly able to obtain the required certificates.

Leaders of teachers' associations question why the Government, which provides free uniforms, shoes, textbooks and notebooks to students in government schools, cannot bear the examination fee of Rs.125.

Teachers have urged the Government either to revise the existing income criteria or directly pay the examination fee on behalf of poor students. They say either measure would ensure that the intended beneficiaries receive the benefit. The deadline for payment of the examination fee without a late charge is November 16, leaving students with limited time to complete the process.