Thiruvananthapuram: Higher Secondary Plus-One students in Kerala can pay the examination fee, without fine, until Friday, states a notification issued on Tuesday.

They can register until 16 March by paying a fine of Rs 20. Additional Rs 5 would be charged for each day after that, until 19 March.

Registration for exam is allowed until 23 March; however, the applicants have to pay Rs 600 as 'superfine' then.

Around 4.5 lakh students are expected to register for the Plus-One exam. The application has to be submitted to the principal of the school where the candidate writes the exam.

Workload on principals mount
Teachers unions are upset over the short window for fee payment.
In the previous years the exam fee could be paid without fine for up to two weeks. Now, it would be challenging for the principals to inspect the applications, receive the fee and then pay the fee at the treasuries within such short span, the unions stated.

S Manoj, General Secretary of Aided Higher Secondary Teachers Association, demanded that the last date for fee payment should be extended as the urgent payment of the fee for the exam that has been scheduled for June would create problems for both the students and the principals.