Secondary schools in Barisal, both public and private, are charging extra fees from the secondary school certificate exam candidates, putting strain on the guardians.
The poor guardians are under a financial strain in managing such a big amount of exam fee for their wards by either selling or mortgaging their property or borrowing money from the loan sharks.
The Barisal Education Board has fixed the highest fees of Tk 1,105 for each examinee of the humanities and commence groups and Tk 1,180 for the science group, including Tk 55 examination fees per paper for written and theoretical subjects, Tk 25 per paper for practical exams, Tk 50 for academic transcript, Tk 100 for certificate, Tk 15 for scout or Tk 15 for girl guide’s, Tk 5 for observing education week funds, Tk 100 for GPA improvement, Tk 100 for irregular examination, Tk 100 for late fees etc.
Filling the forms started on November 4 and the date for submitting fees at the education board without fine is till November 15, with fine till November 25 and submission of forms within November 25, 2010, the board sources said.
Action will be taken if any complaint about realising excessive fees from the SSC candidates is proved after investigation, said Professor Bimal Krishna Majumdar, chairman of the Barisal Education Board.
However it was found that both the public and private schools have been realising fees ranging from Tk 1,500 to Tk 2,750 from each candidate violating the board instruction.
Govt Sadar Girls School is taking Tk 1,465 from each candidate of humanities and commerce groups and Tk 1,500 from the science group, while it was Tk 2,500 and Tk 2,750 at Sareswat Girls School, Tk 2,545 and Tk 2,600 at Collegiate School, Tk 2,255 and Tk 2,390 at Udayon (missionary), Tk 2,210 and Tk 2,200 at Halima Khatun Girls School of the city.
The extra fees are collected in the name of tuition fees until the results were out, coaching, development, magazine, sports, milad, mosques, salaries of Class IV employees and on other heads.
Rashida Sultana, a domestic help in the city, borrowed Tk 2,600 to pay the SSC examination fee of her daughter and does not know how she will repay the loan.
Ekhlas Uddin of village Charbaria under sadar upazila, said he had to sell his bullock to give the examination fees of his son.
When contacted, the headmasters of several high schools, denying the allegation of extra fees, said they were taking examination fees as per the direction of the board.
They, however, said the board had not imposed any restriction on collecting fess on other heads not mentioned by the board.
About collecting the tuition fees from the girl students, Amzad Hossain, headmaster of Halima Khatun Girls School of the city, claimed that the order of exemption of tuition fees for the girl students, except the twenty per cent scholarship holders, had expired two years ago.
Md Bashar Talukdar, school inspector of the education board, said they were yet to receive any allegation from the guardians or students about excessive examination fees fixed by the board.
