’Fine CBSE, not us’

First year college students from the central board, who are being charged a fine for late submission of pass certificates, are upset as none of them have received the documents yet

'Fine CBSE, not us'

First year college students from the central board, who are being charged a fine for late submission of pass certificates, are upset as none of them have received the documents yet

Parents of first year college students across the city have been surprised and outraged by the penalties imposed on them by the institutions, for non-submission of their CBSE pass certificates. The peeved parents claim that it is a virtual impossibility for them to produce the certificates - which is an integral part of the student's eligibility criteria - as they have not received the certificates from the board to begin with.

Confusion certified: Students are given provisional admission to
colleges on the basis of their grades, but to solemnise the admission,
it is mandatory for them to submit the pass certificates. file pic

The last date for submission of the certificates was September 14.

The pass certificate is one of the pre-requisites for admission in any of the state's colleges, as it is proof of the student's eligibility. The CBSE board, however, sends the certificates to students not before October every year. This means that all the students who passed out from the CBSE board this year, have failed to provide them. The colleges, unmoved by the logistical complications involved in the failure, have imposed a penalty ranging between Rs 10-50 per day, or a one-time late-fee of Rs 100 per month, for late submission.u00a0

Irked parents have forwarded their complaints to the Maharashtra State Board of Education, and the latter has now written to the CBSE, asking it about the delivery status of the pending pass certificates.

An angry parent said, "With effect from today, colleges are charging us Rs 10 for every day's delay. Why should we have to pay a fine when the culprit is the CBSE board, which is responsible for the delay? What can we do if we don't have the certificates?"

A student who passed out from a South Mumbai school this year said, "Our college has asked us to pay a one-time penalty of Rs 100 for late submission of the certificate."

T Gadhave, supervisor of Sydenham College, said, "Students have still not submitted their pass certificates, which is essential for us to confirm their eligibility. We have given them provisional admission, but the eligibility forms that we have sent to the state board explicitly mention that pass certificates need to be attached with them. If they are late in submitting the certificates, we have to penalise them as per the state board regulations."

Jayesh Patel, vice principal of Hinduja College said, "The maximum fine is Rs 50 a month, though I am not sure of the exact details. I am not sure of the amount to be paid per day."

Another vice principal of a well known South Mumbai college, said, "When our staff members went with the incomplete eligibility forms of the CBSE students to regional state board office, they came to know that the CBSE board is not going to send the pass certificate to schools this year. If this is the case, we will ask the students to obtain letters from the schools, exempting them from producing pass certificates."

Ravindra Bhise, state board secretary, Mumbai division, said, "We have come to know from some schools and parents that they have not received pass certificates from the board this year. To find out what the details are, we have sent a letter to the CBSE, asking them if they plan to send the certificates, and whether they have made any policy changes for the certificates. If this is the case then we will have to hold a meeting. We will make sure that no student suffers because of this."