Govt bars private schools from charging extra admission, readmission fees

Private schools and colleges will not be allowed to charge more than the government-approved admission fees for the 2027 academic year.

They are also barred from collecting readmission fees from students promoted to the next class within the same institution.

According to the 2027 admission policy issued by the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education yesterday (10 November), institutions found collecting excess fees will face cancellation of their Monthly Pay Order (MPO) status and legal action.

Under the policy, the maximum price of online application forms has been set at Tk110 for Class I and Tk250 for Classes II to IX. However, all MPO-listed, partially MPO-listed and non-MPO institutions can charge a maximum of Tk200 for application forms.

The ministry has also set maximum admission fees, including session charges, based on the location of institutions.

Schools in rural areas can charge up to Tk500, those in upazila municipality areas Tk1,000, district headquarters municipalities Tk2,000 and metropolitan areas outside Dhaka Tk3,000.

In Dhaka metropolitan areas, MPO-listed institutions can charge a maximum of Tk5,000.

For partially MPO-listed and non-MPO institutions in Dhaka, the ceiling has been set at Tk8,000 for Bangla-medium and Tk10,000 for English-version students.

These fees will include monthly tuition, session charges and development fees. However, institutions cannot collect more than Tk3,000 under the development fee category.

The policy allows schools to collect annual session charges from students promoted to the next class after passing their annual examinations, but explicitly prohibits readmission fees.

Institutions have also been instructed to arrange, as far as possible, waivers of admission fees for poor, meritorious and students with special needs.

Schools must also follow the ministry’s circular issued on 27 October 2024 regarding increases in salaries and tuition fees.

The policy also requires school authorities to submit class-wise figures of application forms sold and submitted to the admission committee in a prescribed format after the application deadline.

It further stipulates that admission test questions must be standard and appropriate for the relevant class, based on National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) textbooks from the preceding class.

To ensure the smooth conduct of admission tests, examination centres must have adequate ventilation and suitable seating arrangements. Examination committees or head teachers may also seek assistance from relevant authorities to manage traffic congestion and maintain law and order.