Board exam fees waived for Class 10, 12 students in drought-hit talukas of Maharashtra

Online forms for the Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations are being filled rapidly in schools and junior colleges across Maharashtra. Meanwhile, the state government and the Maharashtra board have made an important announcement for students and parents. Students in drought-affected areas will no longer have to pay the fee first and wait for a refund. The government has decided to waive the examination fee outright and not collect it at the time of filling the online form.

According to a Government Resolution (GR) of September 25, 2026, drought-like conditions have been declared in 265 talukas of Maharashtra. The government has therefore introduced several measures and concessions in these talukas as a special provision. Full waiver of examination fees for school and college students is part of these concessions.

The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has issued an official circular. It says no examination fee will be charged, until further orders, from students of drought-affected areas appearing in the Class 10 and Class 12 examinations to be held in February-March 2027. Directions have been given to have their online applications filled without a fee. Detailed guidelines will be issued separately by the state board soon.

The issue was discussed at length at a state Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The meeting stressed that fees should not be collected from students at the start, only to be refunded later. Following this discussion in the Cabinet, the board promptly announced the decision not to charge fees from students in drought-affected areas.

The state board has directed all divisional boards to inform all schools and junior colleges in the drought-affected talukas of their areas about the decision immediately and to have it implemented at once. They have also been ordered to send a full report on the action taken to the state board soon.

The state has about 32 lakh students in Classes 10 and 12 combined. Students and parents had faced considerable hardship in the process of paying the fee and getting it back later. Teachers' organisations had also strongly demanded that it be stopped. Since form filling is under way, the decision, taken at the right time, has ended the refund hassle. The move brings major financial relief to 32 lakh students and their parents.