UNB, Dhaka :
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Monday warned of stern action against those private educational institutions that will fail to return by Tuesday the extra tuition, examination and admission fees they have charged from their students beyond the officially fixed ones.
“Following a direction of the High Court, we, on February 3, gave a seven-day deadline for private schools and colleges to refund the extra fees they had earlier taken from students, and asked all the boards to make lists of those institutions that have done this,” he said.
The minister further said, “We’ll take stern action against those institutions that will fail to refund the extra fees within the given time. I’ve urged the managing committees of the errant educational institutions to comply with the deadline and he High Court order. Or else, no one will be spared.”
Nahid came up with the warning as a statement of the country’s 28 noted educationists and eminent persons protesting and condemning the collection of extra tuition and admission fees from students by private educational institutions was placed before him at his ministry.
Ain o Salish Kendra executive director Sultana Kamal, Dhaka University Prof MM Akash and educationist Prof Hayat Mahmud handed over
the statement to the Education Minister on behalf of the noted citizens. Sultana Kamal read out the statement.
“We’re observing with deep concern that some private schools have been charging extra tuition and admission fess from students and their guardians right from the beginning of this year. They’ve put an extra load on guardians by raising the fess by 70-100 percent at a time,” the statement read.
It observed that raising the tuition and admission fess beyond the government’s policy is gradually going beyond tolerable level. “It’s also contrary to the National Education Policy 2010.”
“Education is not a commodity,” the statement said adding that the unjustifiable hike in tuition and admission fess by frontline educational institutions cannot be accepted. This is unfair to create such a pressure on guardians by violating the government’s guidelines.”
The noted citizens called upon the ministries and departments concerned to take immediate action in light of the High Court to stop the unethical and discriminatory efforts of the educational institutions.
The signatories to the statement include Professor Emirates Anisuzzaman, Professor Emirates Serajul Islam Choudhury, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Ex-UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh Shishu Academy Chairman Selina Hossain, Biswa Shikkhok Federation President Prof Mahfuza Khanam, ex-caretaker government advisers M Hafizuddin Khan, Hossain Zillur Rahman, Rasheda K Chowdhury, Prof Syed Manzurul Islam, columnist Syed Abul Maksud, cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan) General Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder and Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam.
Many private schools and colleges in Dhaka and some other cities increased tuition and admission fees with the beginning of the New Year, prompting students and guardians to stage demonstrations in Dhaka and Chittagong against it.
On November 6, 2015, a High Court bench comprising Justice Quazi Reza-Ul-Hoque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman asked all the education boards to take actions against the educational institutes that realised extra fees from the SSC candidates, beyond the fixed board fees.
In its order, the court asked the head teachers and heads of the governing bodies concerned to return the extra examination fees they had received beyond the amount set by the government on January 20, 2016.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on Monday warned of stern action against those private educational institutions that will fail to return by Tuesday the extra tuition, examination and admission fees they have charged from their students beyond the officially fixed ones.
“Following a direction of the High Court, we, on February 3, gave a seven-day deadline for private schools and colleges to refund the extra fees they had earlier taken from students, and asked all the boards to make lists of those institutions that have done this,” he said.
The minister further said, “We’ll take stern action against those institutions that will fail to refund the extra fees within the given time. I’ve urged the managing committees of the errant educational institutions to comply with the deadline and he High Court order. Or else, no one will be spared.”
Nahid came up with the warning as a statement of the country’s 28 noted educationists and eminent persons protesting and condemning the collection of extra tuition and admission fees from students by private educational institutions was placed before him at his ministry.
Ain o Salish Kendra executive director Sultana Kamal, Dhaka University Prof MM Akash and educationist Prof Hayat Mahmud handed over
the statement to the Education Minister on behalf of the noted citizens. Sultana Kamal read out the statement.
“We’re observing with deep concern that some private schools have been charging extra tuition and admission fess from students and their guardians right from the beginning of this year. They’ve put an extra load on guardians by raising the fess by 70-100 percent at a time,” the statement read.
It observed that raising the tuition and admission fess beyond the government’s policy is gradually going beyond tolerable level. “It’s also contrary to the National Education Policy 2010.”
“Education is not a commodity,” the statement said adding that the unjustifiable hike in tuition and admission fess by frontline educational institutions cannot be accepted. This is unfair to create such a pressure on guardians by violating the government’s guidelines.”
The noted citizens called upon the ministries and departments concerned to take immediate action in light of the High Court to stop the unethical and discriminatory efforts of the educational institutions.
The signatories to the statement include Professor Emirates Anisuzzaman, Professor Emirates Serajul Islam Choudhury, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Ex-UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam, Bangladesh Shishu Academy Chairman Selina Hossain, Biswa Shikkhok Federation President Prof Mahfuza Khanam, ex-caretaker government advisers M Hafizuddin Khan, Hossain Zillur Rahman, Rasheda K Chowdhury, Prof Syed Manzurul Islam, columnist Syed Abul Maksud, cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan) General Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder and Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam.
Many private schools and colleges in Dhaka and some other cities increased tuition and admission fees with the beginning of the New Year, prompting students and guardians to stage demonstrations in Dhaka and Chittagong against it.
On November 6, 2015, a High Court bench comprising Justice Quazi Reza-Ul-Hoque and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman asked all the education boards to take actions against the educational institutes that realised extra fees from the SSC candidates, beyond the fixed board fees.
In its order, the court asked the head teachers and heads of the governing bodies concerned to return the extra examination fees they had received beyond the amount set by the government on January 20, 2016.
