Stop charging additional fees

The High Court yesterday directed the government to take immediate steps to prevent private educational institutions across the country from charging additional admission fees from students.
In response to a writ petition, it ordered the authorities concerned to investigate allegations against the schools and colleges imposing additional fees and charges in the form of donations violating the guidelines issued by the government.
The HC issued a rule asking the education ministry, directorates and education boards to submit to it within a month reports what steps have been taken to stop charging excess fees and punish violators of the guidelines.
It directed them to explain within three weeks their failure to investigate the imposition of excess admission fees and charges in the name of donations, and to prosecute and punish the authorities of the schools and colleges doing so.
The court also asked them to explain why they should not be directed to adopt a time-bound action plan to monitor both government and non-government schools to ensure that they comply with the guidelines regarding admission fees and refund the excess fees taken so far.
Officials concerned of the education ministry, the directorates of primary and mass education, and secondary and higher secondary education, and all the education boards have been made respondents to the rule and order.
An HC bench comprising Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim came up with the rule after hearing the petition jointly filed by two rights bodies--Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) and Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust.
The petition followed news reports that private schools across the country are charging admission fees ranging from Tk 8,000 to Tk 32,000.
The guidelines issued by the education ministry in December last year fixed the admission fees for a student at Tk 5,000 in Dhaka metropolitan area, Tk 3,000 in other metropolitan areas, Tk 2,000 in district headquarters, Tk 1,000 in upazila headquarters and Tk 500 in rural areas, the petition mentioned.
Barrister Ashraful Hadi appeared for the petitioners and Deputy Attorney General ABM Altaf Hossain represented the government.