Decrease in CBSE revenue after setting up NTA, claims MHRD
By Newsmeter Network Published on 26 Nov 2019 2:57 PM GMT
Hyderabad: There has been a decrease in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) revenue after setting up of the National Testing Agency. CBSE had recently increased the examination fee of class X and XII Board examination for 2020 and the registration fee of class IX and XI.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) attributes this revenue loss and the subsequent fee hike to the newly formed National Testing Agency. CBSE has passed on the responsibility of conducting competitive examinations like JEE and NEET to NTA, which the ministry claim has left CBSE in a deep fund crunch.
CBSE is a self-financed institution under MHRD and hence does not receive any grant from the Government of India. According to MHRD, to date, CBSE has not sought any financial assistance from the government.
Satwinder Setia, a parent, told NewsMeter that sending children to CBSE affiliated schools is already a financial burden to parents. Getting CBSE affiliation is like a status symbol to many schools. Once affiliated, they put the responsibility of maintaining CBSE norms on students and parents through a high fee structure. CBSE’s latest move is something similar. They are passing on their burden to students rather than seeking financial assistance from the government.”
The class-wise details of the number of students registered under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum are:
Class IX — 2,241,285
Class X — 1,920,651
Class XI — 1,413,924
Class XII — 1,264,946
Students from the SC/ST category are also not exempted from this burden of fee hike.
CBSE increased the examination fees of class X and XII Board examination 2020, from Rs 750 to Rs 1500 for all categories of students, including SC/ST candidates, for all schools in India.
CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi had earlier called the fee hike as a move for self-sustenance. “The fee hikes are required to overcome a financial deficit of around Rs 200 crore, and maintain the quality in the examination and evaluation,” he added.
