Other States - Orissa   

Exam fee hike: students, parents stage protest

CUTTACK: Hundreds of students and their parents led by activists of All India DSO on Monday demonstrated violently in front of State Board of Secondary Education (BSE) here demanding complete rollback of the proposed fee hike of 2010-Matriculation examination.

The agitators picketed the Board office since early morning on the day locking all the entrances and did not allow the staff to enter into it. The selling of application forms for the examination which was supposed to begin from the day could not take off as the Board office remained under seize throughout the day.

Board officials however, finding no alternative agreed for a discussion with the agitators on Tuesday but did not officially put off the process of selling of application forms although, not a single form was sold on the day.

“We will continue to blockade the office throughout the night and would not budge an inch until the fee hike decision is put on hold”, said city secretary of DSO Sibashis Praharaj.

Earlier on the day hundreds of school children with their school uniform marched towards the Board office holding placards and shouting slogans demanding rollback of fee hike.

By 8 a.m., all the entrance gates of the Board office were locked and as the day progressed, the strength of the protesters swelled forcing the staff to wait outside unable to enter into the office.

The protesters in large numbers squatted in front of the counters meant to sell application forms and did not allow anybody to come close to it thereby stalling the the whole process.

The Board officials late last month had decided to hike the examination fees by nearly 50 per cent.

However, on protest by both students and teachers’ organisations earlier this month, the proposed hike was reduced to 40 per cent.

But the marginal cut in fee hike was also not acceptable to the striking students and they demanded complete rollback of the decision.

Even some other students’ organisation also came up with yet another demand urging the officials to completely waive the examination fee in at least 15 districts of the State which are affected by drought.

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