HC to monitor capitation fee

The High Court will monitor the charging of capitation by private educational institutions during admission time.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 14 Nov 2013, 01:42 PM
Updated : 14 Nov 2013, 01:42 PM

The bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmed said this in an order on Thursday in response to a partially granted writ petition.

Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) Deputy Director Farida Yasmin and Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury filed the petition, seeking an order on the institutions to go by the admission guidelines.

The government formulated the rules in 2011 for the private educational institutions at the primary, secondary and higher secondary levels. But many of them are believed to be flouting them.

The order, however, said that, though the collection of higher fee would remain under the court's 'observation', the petitioners need to appeal for a remedy.

The court declared the petition ‘continuous mandamus’, meaning the petitioners could move the court anytime for remedy under this writ.

Earlier, on Jan 9 last year, the court issued a rule asking the authorities why realisation of extra fees would not be declared illegal.
During Thursday’s hearing, SM Rezaul Karim and Ashraful Hadi stood for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Md Mokhlesur Rahman represented the state.
Following the order, Hadi told bdnews24.com: “State attorneys informed the court that several schools admitted to the collection of extra fees and agreed to adjust them.”
“But it’s a continual process. This problem is arises every year.”
Hadi said, under the guidelines, the government had fixed the admission fees at the institutions in Dhaka, other cities, and municipal areas.
There are provisions to cancel the MPO (monthly pay order) facilities given to private institutions if they fail to stick to the admission guidelines.