Berhampur: The Odisha government’s order to waive all academic fees for physically challenged students notwithstanding, several government higher secondary schools have collected admission fees from them.
Retired principal of Red Cross School for the Blind in Berhampur, Nabin Chandra Satapathy, has brought the attention of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities about the anomaly.
As per an order of the Department of School and Mass Education of Odisha dated May 25, 2018, “all academic fees, except mess charges, will be waived in respect of students with disabilities of 40% or more”.
Irrespective of the order, during the first phase of admission from July 2 to July 5, an amount between Rs 1,000 and Rs 4,000 was allegedly collected as admission fee from physically challenged students by the government and government aided higher secondary schools.
Satpathy has objected to the institutions’ move to collect admission fee.
Many institutions including Khallikote Higher Secondary School in Berhampur and Ravenshaw Higher Secondary School in Cuttack had collected fee from students, he alleged.
Muniguda Junior College in Rayagada district collected Rs 4000 from Dutikrushna Jena, a vision impaired student, towards his admission for Arts course.
While Ravenshaw Higher Secondary School in Cuttack collected a fee of Rs 961 for admission to Arts course from S Nahak, a vision impaired student, Khallikote Higher Secondary School in Berhampur made a vision impaired Prabhakar Sethi to pay Rs 1062 for his Arts course.
When these students brought the attention of the school authorities, they feigned ignorance about such an order. Finding no other way, the students made the payment for admission.
The second phase cut off mark list for Plus II admission will be published July 10. Satpathy in his representation has urged the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities to take steps so that the physically challenged students would no longer face the harassment during the second phase admission July 11 and July 12.
Besides, he has also demanded steps to ensure refund of the money collected from physically challenged students.
When contacted, principal of Khallikote Higher Secondary School Swarnaprava Mohapatra said she was well aware of the notification, which says tuition fee is not to be collected.
“Regarding admission fee, we had earlier contacted an official of Council of Higher Secondary Education and he had said that admission fee would be collected,” she said, adding that they collected the fees only after confirmation from higher authorities.