Greeshma Nayak, a student from Karnataka's Tumkur district, was worried she would not be able to sit for the upcoming Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations as her family was unable to pay her school fees. According to news reports, the youngster was distraught and had reportedly thought about taking her own life. Hearing this, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar immediately visited her home and promised help.
According to a report in the Times of India, Greeshma had lost her admission at Alva's Educational Institution as her family was unable to pay the school fees. Consequently, she did not get the hall ticket for the upcoming SSLC exams, scheduled to be held on July 19 and 22, which left her devastated.
Speaking to TOI, Greeshma had said that they had suffered losses as a result of the lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they could not pay the Rs 1 lakh fee for grade 10. The daughter of a farmer, Greeshma had scored 96% in Grade 9. She said that her family had promised to pay the fee later, but the school still hadn’t admitted her.
Karnataka Minister Suresh Kumar, who has assured her of help, is also making arrangements for her to write the supplementary exams which will be held in August so that she need not wait till the next academic year to write the exams. “These incidents should not happen and an inquiry will be conducted,” Suresh Kumar said.
Previously, TNM had reported that the members of Aam Aadmi Party had protested on July 15 demanding that the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) take action against schools that refused to issue hall tickets over non-payment of fees. The protest came as many claimed that several schools have withheld hall tickets of students over non-payment of fees.
The report further mentions that according to a circular from the KSEEB, the hall tickets could be collected by students directly from their respective Block Education Offices. It further stated that the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) had asked the students to contact the KSEEB for any help.
(Helpline numbers)
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
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