Eighth grader Poli Malakar was sobbing. She feared that she might not be allowed to sit for the model tests as she had tuition due. It was the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) who eventually paved the way for her to sit for the exams.

After she received a notice from the school authorities to clear all her dues, Poli went running to her father Nitai Malakar, a driver by profession of Kamalganj in Moulvibazar district; but she knew her father’s pocket was empty.

A student from Kaliprasad High School in Kamalganj, Poli was supposed to appear for the model test that started October 1. But she was denied entrance to the exam hall when she went there for the exam, Poli claimed.

A video which later went viral on social media shows that Poli was crying saying that she was not allowed to appear for the exams as she failed to pay the due.

Abdul Hadi Juman Ahmad, a local shopkeeper recorded her statement in the video and released it on Facebook, prompting Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mahmudul Huq to pay her fees yesterday evening, reports our Moulvibazar correspondent.

UNO Huq went up to the school and cleared all of Poli’s tuition fees out of a fund that he created to assist the education of those in need.

However, Shotendro Kumar Pal, headmaster of Kaliprasad High School, told The Daily Star that the girl got scared based on a “rumor” and left the exam hall.

He admitted that the school had given out notices to students who had tuition pending.

Abdul Hadi told The Daily Star that he came to know about the matter and recoded the video on October 1 when some of the girls went to his shop to call their parents to inform them about the fees. “They were worried that their parents would not be able to pay.”

UNO Huq told The Daily Star that all due tuition for Poli has been paid and that the girl could sit for model test examinations that began from October 1.

All fees for Poli have been cleared until class 10, ensuring she can continue her studies.