Almost 50 students, who will appear for their National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) 10th board exams on May 3 and 4 at Matruchhaya High School in Dahisar, had to shell out Rs 350 to the authorities last week. The students were compelled to pay the money after authorities threatened that if they failed to do so, then would have to arrange for their own computers to appear for the word processing and data entry operations exam.

After collecting the money, the authorities gave the parents unofficial receipts (copy with MiD DAY) only when the latter demanded them. However, when some parents enquired with NIOS board, they were told that they needn’t pay for any practical exams and their complaint will be noted. Rakesh Malik, a student appearing for the exam, said, “After paying the money, we were given an unofficial receipt from the school where there was only a school stamp. In some receipts, the amount wasn’t even mentioned.”