The Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Board has increased six-fold the examination fees for high school and intermediate board examinations in 2020. The fee for high school examinations has been raised from Rs 80 to Rs 500, while for intermediate examinations it has gone up from Rs 90 to Rs 600. 

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Private students appearing in UP Board high school examinations will now pay Rs 700 instead of Rs 200, while those appearing in intermediate examinations will be charged Rs 800 instead of Rs 220. Candidates will have to submit the fees to their school principal by August 15. 

In April, the UP Board had increased the fee for re-evaluation of examinations by five times. Board officials said that the reason behind the steep hike was to bring it at par with CBSE and CISCE to some extent. 

UP Board secretary Neena Srivastava said: "We are still not charging as much fee as CBSE or CISCE since majority of our students come from rural background." In CBSE, high school and intermediate students are required to pay Rs 750 for five subjects. A fee of Rs 100 is charged if they opt for an additional subject. The examination fee for ICSE and ISC students is Rs 1,500.

Meanwhile, the state president of Madhyamik Vittavihin Shikshak Mahasabha (Secondary Self-finance Teachers` Association), Umesh Dwiwedi said: "At a time when the government talks about providing free food and uniforms to all, the fee hike is too steep for students."