The certificate fee, previously Rs 550, has been increased to Rs 1,000; new fees for the installation of video surveillance cameras are levied
RAWALPINDI:
To deal with a severe financial crisis, school boards imposed what was described as a massive “fee bomb” on students appearing for school board exams.
New charges for installation of CCTV cameras in examination centers have also been imposed on students, along with an additional Rs 900 as newly introduced miscellaneous fees.
The certificate fee, previously Rs550, has been increased to Rs1,000. Due to the new fees and taxes, private candidates appearing in the FA/FSc annual exams will now pay a total of Rs7,730, while regular students will pay Rs7,570.
All private school associations in Pakistan have categorically rejected the tuition fee hike. Officials estimate that education boards in Punjab will generate up to Rs 15 billion from the increase in tuition fees. Every year, between 1.8 million and 2 million students appear for the exams conducted by the nine education boards of Punjab. If both enrolled and intermediate students are counted, the figure exceeds 3.5 million. The boards conduct two exams a year – annual and supplementary – with around 50 per cent participation in the supplementary exams as well.
For intermediate annual exams starting from May 20, 2026, the revised fees include: admission fee of Rs 1,000, registration fee of Rs 1,000, processing fee of Rs 1,000, certificate fee of Rs 1,000, new miscellaneous fee of Rs 900, CCTV installation fee of Rs 30, development fee of Rs 350, fee of scholarship of Rs 250 and postage of Rs 300.
The intermediate admission fees have been fixed at Rs 1,700 for regular arts students, Rs 1,740 for regular science students, Rs 1,800 for private arts students and Rs 1,900 for private science students.
Pakistan Private Schools Management Association President Abrar Ahmed Khan, Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association President Irfan Muzaffar Kiani and Pakistan Private Schools Association (Registered) President Malik Naseem Ahmed strongly condemned the increase, saying CCTV cameras are being installed in examination halls, so students should not be burdened with the cost.
They termed the miscellaneous charges of Rs900 as unfair and termed the increase in certificate and processing fees as excessive.
Parents also rejected the new fee structure, warning that poor families could be forced to withdraw their daughters from registration and midterm exams.
