Govt halts hiked fees on school students

The government today directed educational institutions to stop collecting hiked fees from students as most private schools in Dhaka have increased the fees by a huge margin.  

“All institutions concerned have been directed to stop collection of the increased tuition and other fees until further notice,” the education ministry said in a notice this afternoon.

It added that the government will immediately issue a necessary guideline to this end.

READ MORE: Lack of guideline leads to free-hike

The government move follows uproar among guardians.

In the absence of a specific guideline on monthly tuition fees, most of the renowned private schools in Dhaka have increased the fees of the students by a huge margin.

The schools of repute increase the tuition fees almost every year, citing rise in maintenance and other costs.

But this year, the institutions hiked the fees by 50 to 100 percent and they have used the increases in public servants' salaries as an excuse.

Protesting this, guardians have staged demonstrations, formed human chains and observed sit-ins in the past two weeks but the schools have not budged from their decisions.

Among the Dhaka-based schools that hiked the fees most are Willes Little Flower School and College, Viqarunnisa Noon School, Udayan Higher Secondary School and College, BIAM Model School and College, Mohammadpur Preparatory Higher Secondary Girls' School and College, Shaheed Police Smrity School and College, Shaheed Bir Uttam Lt Anwar Girls' School and College, and Bangladesh Bank High School and College.

Similar move by 46 schools run by Chittagong City Corporation and the Navy School and College have also met with protests.

Guardians say the sudden fee hike will put most families, especially the middle income groups and those with multiple school-going kids, in immense pressure.

The government has an admission policy and all that it says about the fees is the capital-based Bangla medium schools, which enjoy MPO facilities partially, can charge a student highest Tk 8,000 as monthly fees, session charge and development fees during the admission.

Tk 10,000 is the ceiling for the English version schools.

The policy says nothing specifically on the monthly tuition fees.