Delhi Government School Students Exempted From CBSE Fees

The Delhi government announced that students from government schools need not pay fees to the CBSE.

Education Minister Manish Sisodia said that students will no longer have to pay Rs 1,500 to the education board.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@mssisodia)

The Delhi government on Saturday, 22 June, announced that students from government schools need not pay fees to the Central Board of Secondary Education.

While addressing students during a felicitation ceremony at Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi, Education Minister Manish Sisodia said that students will no longer have to pay Rs 1,500 to the education board, reported IANS. This decision was taken after students told Sisodia that although education is free, they have had to pay Rs 1,500 to CBSE.

The Central Board of Secondary Education is the board of education for all Delhi government schools.

“Access to high-quality education is the right of all children. Education cannot be a matter of charity. The government will pay the exam fee of students. Soon, the government will arrange coaching for the NEET and JEE aspirants,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.

Students belonging to families having annual income of less than Rs one lakh will get 100 per cent scholarship, while those with annual income between Rs 1 and 2.5 lakh will get 50 per cent scholarship.

Commending the performance of students from government schools, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said – reported by PTI – “I am happy to share that over 1,000 children from Delhi's government schools have scored more than 90 per cent marks. I feel immense pride that government schools have a pass percentage of 94, beating private schools for the fourth time in a row.”

Talking about how people prefer to send their children to private schools because of the poor quality of the state-run schools, he said, “Manish, I came from the same background as you. We are not politicians. It is our dream that every child born in this country must get high-quality education, regardless of their financial background.

Kejriwal added that during its first year in office, the government "doubled the education budget", which now stands at Rs 14,000 crore.

“Love for one's country is the most important outcome of our education system. Why has Manish Sisodia started the happiness curriculum? It is to inculcate a value system in you,” Kejriwal said, reported PTI.

The Education Department introduced the happiness curriculum last year, which gives students of Delhi government schools a 45-minute 'happiness period' that includes meditation, storytelling, question and answer sessions, value education and mental exercises.

Applauding the teachers he said, “Corporates used to come and say that they would run the schools under the corporate social responsibility. Why should our children get education through charity when it's their birth right? Delhi's teachers have proved that government schools can be better than private schools and I am very proud of all of you.”

Sisodia explained how the government is working on improving the infrastructure, teacher training, making arrangements to provide free coaching for competitive exams like NEET and JEE.

Reiterating his government's stance, he said, “No student in Delhi should face any problems in studies due to lack of money. The Delhi government will arrange it for them. We will be the guarantor and you will get a loan for your studies. We do not want even a single student to miss an opportunity because of it.”

(With inputs from IANS, PTI)