File photo.
Dhaka //

The Ministry of Education has made a new policy to prevent uncontrolled tuition fee collection in private schools and colleges. The policy will be called ‘Tuition Fee Policy for Private Educational Institutions (Schools, School and Colleges, Higher Secondary Colleges and Degree Colleges at Higher Secondary Level), 2024’.

The circular was published on the website of the Ministry of Education on Sunday (November 3). However, Senior Secretary Siddique Jobayer signed it on October 27. The circular mentions that it will be effective from that day.

The circular says that the policy will be applicable to all MPO-listed and non-MPO-listed educational institutions under the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education. Article 2.5 of the policy mentions who will be on the committee in which level of educational institutions and how tuition fees will be determined.

The policy also states that the monthly salary or tuition fee should be determined by taking into account the location, type of educational institution, and the social and financial status of the guardians.

According to the policy, the Additional Divisional Commissioner (Education and ICT/General) will be the head of the tuition fee determination committee for educational institutions located in various metropolitan cities of the country including Dhaka. Moreover, this committee will have 10 members including the DC representative and the regional deputy director of Maushi.

The district headquarters, municipal area and upazila area committees will have the Deputy Commissioner as the president. A total of seven members including two principals, two head teachers, and an education officer will be formed.

Scope of the committee
The committee members will determine the tuition fee. They will determine the institution-based fee for the next academic year by November 30 of each year. They will provide full free or half free education to create opportunities for poor and helpless students. Moreover, they will monitor whether the determined fee is being collected or not and inform the education board.

Anger over not having guardian representatives in the committee
Parents have expressed anger over not having guardian representatives in any committee at the metropolitan, district, municipality and upazila levels to determine tuition fees. Freedom fighter Ziaul Kabir Dulu, president of the Guardian Unity Forum, told Janakantha, “We were optimistic about the new policy for determining tuition fees.

However, a committee consisting of bureaucrats and teachers like in the past is unacceptable. They have cut the pockets of the parents by dividing them up in the past. This opportunity has been legally made permanent in this new policy. We are demanding that the policy be amended and two guardian representatives be included.”