Students forced to pay extra for bag storage during exams

Hyderabad: It's that time of the year where students attempt competitive exams as well as write their semester and annual exams. While writing a series of tests, they are being forced to shell out ₹ 20 at each centre to store their bags. While some colleges and centres have been found to charge ₹ 20, one college collected ₹ 50.

“We were not informed by our centre that we ought to pay a certain fee to place our books and bags. We carefully read all instructions before reaching the hall to ensure no last-minute tension, but things like these always come up. My brother dropped me off and left; I had nowhere to look for a ₹ 20 note, as they refused to even return change,” said Satya Priya T., who is writing her law semester 1 externals at AV College, Domalguda.

Mahider Reddy, a parent, said that paying ₹ 20 might not be a big deal, but for a student to be told about it just a few minutes before the exam was unhelpful. “How can the management think that all students would carry a ₹ 20 note? And with so many students and so many exams, imagine how much they are minting,” he said.

Students also bemoaned the fact that the UPI mode of payment was not accepted.

A security guard at one of the colleges said that a student who reached the centre in the nick of time and couldn't pay in time, missed the exam and went home.  

While most colleges contacted by Deccan Chronicle denied indulging in some practices, some refused to comment on the issue. An administration member at one such college, however, hit back at students and parents, calling them “freeloaders”.

“We are providing a service and it costs us time and manpower, because hordes of students leave valuables here. Keeping a check on each of it so nobody steals anything is a huge responsibility. Collecting a nominal fee is not illegal or unethical,” she said.

To this, Nida S.B., sister of a student, asked, "What's the examination fee for then? Today it's for bags, tomorrow it'll be for benches, water, toilet, and more."

They sought that the government issue a GO under the Educational Institutions Act, 1983, to curb the practice to ensure students aren’t fleeced and that they do not have to put up with last-minute tension before giving an exam.