KSEAB fee hike for answer script copies triggers calls for review

Hubballi: Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) has fixed a fee of Rs 530 per subject for PUC-2 and Rs 400 per subject for SSLC to obtain photocopies of exam answer scripts.Students and parents are now demanding a rollback in these fees, saying these are way too high. Students usually apply for photocopies of answer scripts before they decide to go for a re-evaluation. Jagadeesha, a parent and activist of Vidyaranyapuram, Bengaluru, told TOI he had written to the state education minister and the chief secretary on April 13, urging a reduction in fees. "Rs 530 and Rs 400 are difficult for middle-class parents and students to afford. Since SSLC and PUC are milestones in a student's academic journey, transparency and re-evaluation should be made available at a nominal cost. It should be free for students belonging to below-poverty-line families," he said. Harsha Viraktamath, an SSLC student in Lokapur, said he was worried about such exorbitant fees. "I have secured 80% in aggregate, but I expected more marks in four subjects. If I must apply for re-evaluation, I need to pay Rs 1,600 plus service charge to obtain photocopies of my answer scripts. Next, I'll have to pay an additional Rs 810 plus service charge per subject for re-evaluation. So it comes to about Rs 4,900, which is a huge burden for my parents," he said. Gangadhar Badiger, a volunteer at All India Save Education Committee, Dharwad, noted that earlier, students were allowed to apply for re-evaluation without obtaining copies of answer scripts. "Now, KSEAB has made it mandatory to obtain photocopies before applying for re-evaluation," Badiger said. "Earlier, the board used to refund the fee to a student if five or more marks were added through re-evaluation. It also used to collect a fine from the initial evaluators if candidates got five or more marks added through re-evaluation. The board is acting like a business entity," he added. When contacted, V Rashmi Mahesh, the additional chief secretary, department of school education and literacy, clarified that the govt had not revised the fees for re-evaluation this year. "Fees for SSLC and PUC answer scripts were last revised in 2018. Based on parents' petitions now, we will seek a response from KSEAB and review it for implementation from the next year," she noted.