Rajbiraj, February 17:

A disabled student was barred from appearing in the eighth grade examinations simply because he could not pay the exam fee of Rs 20.

Arun Kumar Yadav of Dopa Lower Secondary School at Bavangamakatti village development committee of Saptari district was denied a seat for the district-level examination for failing to pay the examination fees of Rs 100, of which he had managed only Rs 80.

The school had asked all examinees to fill up the forms for the examination by paying Rs 100 each.

“I returned from school in disappointment after the headmaster told me that I must pay Rs 100 to fill up the examination forms,” he lamented.

Yadav filed a complaint in the Sagarmatha Handicapped Welfare Society today stating that he could not attend the examination because he could not afford to fill up the examination form.

A copy of the complaint was given to the District Education Office, Saptari, which has said an investigation into the matter would be launched soon.