The Tripura government has paid 15 tribal students at a government school Rs 2 lakh each as relief for missing the National Eligibility and Entrance Test in 2017 because of the school authorities’ negligence, the National Human Rights Commission said on Friday.

Based on the commission’s recommendations, the students, all from Eklavya Model Residential School in Khumulwng, will also get free coaching for the 2018 National Eligibility and Entrance Test.

The NHRC had earlier found that the principal and a teacher of the school had filled the online application form for NEET 2017 on behalf of the students, but failed to pay the fee before the deadline. The commission said the state government had “accepted the negligence” of the school authorities.

However, action against the principal and the teacher was not enough, the NHRC said. “The state government needed to pay monetary relief also to the victim students for the loss of one academic year, in addition to free coaching,” it said.