Karnataka School Snatched Away Answer Sheets, Made Students Stand Outside Over Non-Payment Of Fees

The past one year has been a struggle for a large section of the population due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the mayhem it unleashed on the livelihoods of ordinary people.

With jobs lost or incomes reduced, many are still struggling to put food on their tables and provide education to their children.

Unlike in the past, parents now have to provide separate laptops or smartphones for their online classes, which many of them can't afford.

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As the crisis lingers on there has been a spike in the number of students dropping out from schools, by choice or by force.

Schools have also come under increasing criticism for demanding regular fees from the students even now.

A private school in Mandya, Karnataka has come under heavy criticism after it emerged that the authorities there allegedly took away the answer sheets of some 25 students in the middle of the examination for Class 10, saying they had paid only half the school fees.

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The parents of the students also alleged that their children were humiliated and made to stand outside the school premises for hours over the non-payment of fees.

Exam sheets of Students writing mid-term exams in #mandya taken away over non-payment of schools fees. Around 25 students were made to stand outside for paying only 50% of the fees. This comes days after Karnatak HC said no coercive decision should be taken. pic.twitter.com/YYpyCt4YNJ

¡ª Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) March 18, 2021

As the news spread, parents and Pro-Kannada activists protested outside the school demanding action against the authorities.

As the protests grew, the school authorities agreed to allow the students to write the exam.

However, the protesting parents said that the school's actions were in violation of the Karnataka High Court order last week which said that no coercive action should be taken by the government or schools over the payment of less school fees in the wake of the pandemic.

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Following the incident, Srirangapatna block education officer said a notice has been issued against the school and action will be taken in accordance with the law.

This is not an isolated incident and in the past one year there have been several cases from across the country, where students were removed from zoom classes and school WhatsApp groups over the issue of fees.