SSC, Dakhil students forced to pay extra exam fees
Poor guardians worried as institutions in Lalmonirhat ignore official instructions
Guardians of SSC and Dakhil examinees from different schools and madrasas in five upazilas of the district are being forced to pay excessive fees for the examinations as the institution authorities ignore the instruction from the education board in this regard.
The situation puts added burden for guardians, especially the insolvent ones, ahead of the important public examinations.
The education board authorities have fixed Tk 1150 as fees for the SSC examinees of the humanities and business studies groups, Tk 1240 for the science group, Tk 950 for Dakhil examinees of general groups and Tk 1065 for the science group.
But the school and madrasa authorities are taking Tk 2200 to 2400 from the students of humanities and business studies groups and Tk 2600 to 2800 from the students of science group, said students and guardians.
Forty-five candidates of Chandrapur High School in Kaliganj upazila held a rally at the school ground yesterday morning protesting realisation of excessive fees by the school authority.
The school authority is charging Tk 2200 as SSC examination fees from each candidate, students said.
"The school authority is charging excessive fee which is too much for we poor guardians," said day labourer Mohir Uddin, 35, father of an SSC examinee from Chandrapur High School.
Several other guardians including Masudur Rahman, Mobin Uddin, Shamsuddin and Johir Ali echoed the same.
Lalmonirhat District Education Office sources said, 8708 students of 143 high schools, including 137 non-government and six government institutions, and 3751 students of 67 madrasas, including 65 non-government and two government ones, in five upazilas of the district have passed the test examinations and they will sit for the SSC and Dakhil examinations under Dinajpur education board.
The students belong to science and humanities groups, except a handful of candidates from business studies group.
But the authorities of the institutions are taking much higher examination fees than the rates fixed by the education board.
The management of Kobi Shaikh Fazlul Karim Girls High School in Lalmonirhat town has fixed a fee of Tk 2400 for the students of humanities group and Tk 2800 for the students of science group.
The authorities of Lalmonirhat Government Boys High School and Lalmonirhat Government Girl's High School in the town have fixed Tk 2400 for humanities group, Tk 2650 for science group. The management of Khuniyagahh High School at Teesta River char in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila has fixed Tk 2200 for humanities and Tk 2400 for science group.
Authorities of Mogholhat and Mohendra Nagar Dakhil Madrasa in Sadar upazila are taking Tk 2100 from the students of general group and Tk 2300 from the students of science group.
The authorities of different schools and madrasas claimed that they are taking the extra money from the students as coaching fees and contribution to poor fund.
But coaching should not be made mandatory, said several guardians of examinees.
On November 1, Lalmonirhat District Education Officer issued a letter to the authorities of all government and non-government high schools and madrasas for taking fees money from the candidates that is fixed by education board but authorities of the institutions are allegedly violating it.
Contacted, Lalmonirhat District Education Officer Moslem Uddin Sarker said,
"If I get any written allegation from the students or their guardians regarding realisation of extra fees, I will take necessary action against the management or authority of the institution concerned according to law."
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