Tania Sultana
Renowned Schools and Colleges in the city are making brisk business in the name of readmission fee every year taking advantage of the absence of any proper monitoring by the government in this regard.
Even the school authorities are increasing these fees every year in the name of session fee, development fee, examination fee, fee card, scout fee, ritual functions fee and so on.
Though most of the guardians of the city are middle class people, they have to bear such kind of extra expenditure.
On the other hand, school authorities said sufficient money was needed to ensure quality education, otherwise qualified teachers and logistic support is not possible to give.
The guardians of the students of two reputed educational institutions in the capital staged demonstration recently to press home their demand to reduce the extra charge.
Guardians of Ideal School and College (ISC) staged demonstration in front of the school gate in Motijheel on Sunday protesting the hike of session and tuition fees without prior notice.
Terming the decision “totally illogical”, they said it would become very difficult for many lower and middle-income group families to spend extra fees for their children.
The school authority fixed this year’s session fee at Tk 5,000 from last year’s Tk 3,200 while monthly tuition fee has been raised Tk 400 from Tk 300.
One of the guardians informed that admission fee at ISC are Tk 6,400 for brilliant students and Tk 4,400 for colony residents. Tk 31,400 is taken as donation for students who could not qualify in the admission tests.
‘Viqarunnisa Noon School and College charges Tk 25,540 as donation from students already in the merit list. Students not in the merit list have to pay Tk 35,000 to get into the school,’ a guardian said.
Monthly fees at Ideal school has been increased by 20 per cent. However, an official of ISC denied the increase in monthly fees. A senior teacher of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Fatema Nasreen said that to retain the fame of the school and develop the educational atmosphere it is essential to increase readmission and others fees.
She also claimed that despite its name and fame, her school took minimum fees compared to other schools in the capital.
Referring to price hike of the essentials she said, it has become a big problem for her school.
About the teachers’ involvement in private coaching, she said as the teachers are paid low remunerations from the school some of them were compelled by circumstances to do it.
Nigar Sultana, a guardian of a student of the Viqarunnisa Noon School, said the guardians were planning to wage movement against hike of admission and other fees.
The authority called to hold a meeting with the guardians to solve this problem mutually, she added.
She also said her child, who is going to be readmitted in class four from class three, will have to pay Tk 4,320 from Tk 3,400.
The monthly fees of the students in junior, middle and senior classes of Monipur High school have also been raised in the beginning of this month. Although, the administration tried to raise the fees by Tk 100 in all these categories, protest from parents and criticism in national dailies led them to increase it by Tk 50.
‘But, we had to pay Tk 3,200 as admission fees this year, as against Tk 2,675 last year,’ a parent said.
Some parents also complained that the school administration did not provide any valid reason behind the sudden hike. When asked, Belayet Hossain Sikder, Headmaster (In charge) of the school said, ‘Ask the parents who complained to the press to come to me and I will tell them exactly why we have increased the fees.’
Monthly fees at the school section of ‘BCIC School and College’ has also been increased to Tk 350 from Tk 200. School management also increased admission fees from Tk 2,600 to Tk 5,600. Fees and other charges have been also increased, in a similar manner, at Udayan and many other reputed Bengali medium schools in Dhaka, according to parents.
According to a guardian, whose children are studying at the leading English medium schools, said rising of fees and other charges is a common phenomenon. Monthly fee at Maple Leaf is currently Tk 2,900 although it was Tk 2,500 in the 2005-2006 session.Aga Khan School, Dhaka (AKSD), another renowned English medium school, also increased its monthly fees to Tk 5,500 during this session.
‘The fee was Tk 5,200 during the 2004-2005 session. The school administration reasoned that the fees have been increased only by Tk 300. But in five years time, the fees increased by Tk 1,500 which is quite high.
A mother of a student of Aga Khan school said” though the school the school management has increased readmission and other fees abnormally, our income has remained almost static.”
Courtesy: nation.ittefaq.com
