RUKUM, Jan 12: Amrit Pariyar of Banfikot Rural Municipality-6 of Rukum (West) is a fourth grader at Siddhartha Janata Secondary School. A few days ago, he appeared in his mid-terminal examination. The rural municipality has announced that no community school can collect any kind of charge from the students. However, Amrit had to pay Rs 60 for the exam.

The school had issued a notice stating that the students will not be allowed to sit for the exam if they didn't pay the exam fees. Not just him, all students of his school were compelled to pay this charge. Students have expressed their disappointment toward the school authority for charging them money in the name of exams.

Students had requested the school authority not to charge them the exam fee. However, students were left with no option as the school strictly warned them of not allowing them to appear in the exam unless they paid the charge, laments Sunita KC, a student.

According to the students, the school also charges them when they are absent. The students studying in grade four to grade nine are charged mid-terminal examination fees. However, for the annual exams, it is mandatory for the students studying in grade one to grade nine to pay the entrance charge.

For the mid-term exams, students of grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are charged Rs 60, Rs 80, Rs 150, Rs 160, Rs 170 and Rs 180, respectively. The guardians lament that they are compelled to pay the charge despite the fact that the government has assured them free education.

Meanwhile, the school administration laments that they are forced to collect the charge to manage answer sheets and stationery for the students. Lok Bahadur Khadka, a source person of Education Committee, laments that no community school is allowed to charge its students exam fees. He stated that a meeting of the committee will decide what to do with the schools which have been collecting such charges.

 
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