Stop re-admission fee at schools

Every year, a silent yet ruthless festival takes place in Bangladesh's education sector, it's re-admission. This celebration is not for students, but for institutional accountants. Admission means money, and re-admission means even more money. It is no longer a continuation of education; it is a renewal of business.

When a student continues in the same institution under the same program, on what ethical ground does the term "re-admission" exist? Has education become a subscription service, where knowledge stops if the annual fee is not renewed? Article 15(a) of the Constitution declares that the state must ensure education for all, while Article 17 calls for a universal, mass-oriented system. How can education be universal if it depends on a student's financial capacity?

Re-admission fees are now an unwritten law in both public and private institutions. In some cases, the amount is nominal; in others, it is so excessive that continuing education feels like a privilege purchased, not a right exercised. There is no assurance of additional services, improved facilities, or even a legal contract-only a receipt proving the student's continued eligibility.

Directives from the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission, as well as provisions in the Private University Act, 2010, instruct institutions to avoid excessive fees. Yet, in reality, fee notices dominate notice boards while laws remain on paper. Re-admission fees have become a covert tax, unapproved, but routinely collected. It is about time the authorities stopped this malpractice in private schools.

Md. Mahin Uddin

Department of Economics

Student, Dhaka College