ALLEGATIONS abound about students across the country being charged extra fees, far beyond the government-set amount and defying a High Court directive, for appearing in the Secondary School Certificate examinations scheduled for February 2019. Admitting this, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has said they have found such allegations to be true in some cases.
Anti-Corruption Commission has, meanwhile, conducted drives at some schools following allegations that extra SSC exam fees are being charged and set a Helpline No: 106 to get more allegations in this connection.
Education Boards have fixed Tk 1,680 to Tk 1,800 as exam fees for Humanities, Commerce and Science students when some schools are alleged to be charging up to Tk 10,000. Registration for examinations in schools began on November 7 and it is scheduled to end on November 22.
The HC had issued an order in November 2014 asking schools not to charge any extra money from the candidates. On November 7 this year, ACC in a press release also said that the students who failed in test exams were being allowed to sit for the final exam in exchange for money. The ACC also warned stern action if any allegation is proved to be true.
Many schools in the capital are taking from Tk 2500 to Tk 10000 as exam fees on dubious grounds. It does not seem like anything except a ruse to extort money from students. We have become used to giving so-called ‘speed money’ on numerous occasions like getting passports or when registering land. However the trend of extorting money from students by educational institutions is completely unacceptable.
Educational institutions and teachers are among the most respected public institutions in the country. It is their duty to inculcate students properly to make our future brighter. It is unacceptable that they would try to fleece the students merely to get extra money for their personal interest. We see, parents are helpless to complain as the schools may not allow registration of the students. Apart from ACC initiatives, proper monitoring by the Education Ministry remains the only safeguard to stop such extortion.
