The certificate fee, which was earlier Rs 550, has increased to Rs 1,000; They charge a new fee for installing CCTV cameras
RAWALPINDI:
To address a severe financial crisis, education boards have imposed what has been described as a massive “fee bomb” on students taking board exams.
A new charge for installing CCTV cameras at exam centers has also been levied on students, along with an additional Rs 900 under a newly introduced miscellaneous fee.
The certificate fee, which was earlier Rs 550, has been increased to Rs 1,000. As a result of the new fees and taxes, private candidates appearing for the annual FA/FSc exams will now pay a total of Rs 7,730, while regular students will pay Rs 7,570.
All private school associations in Pakistan have strongly rejected the fee increase. Officials estimate that education boards in Punjab will generate up to Rs 15 billion from the fee hike. Every year, 1.8 to 2 million students appear for the exams conducted by the nine education boards of Punjab. When both enrolled and intermediate students are counted, the figure exceeds 3.5 million. The boards conduct two exams a year (annual and supplementary), and around 50 percent also participate in the supplementary exams.
For the annual intermediate exams starting from May 20, 2026, the revised fees include: Admission fee Rs 1,000, Registration fee Rs 1,000, Processing fee Rs 1,000, Certificate fee Rs 1,000, New miscellaneous fee Rs 900, CCTV installation fee Rs 30, Development charges Rs 350, Scholarship fee Rs 250 and Postal charges 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 and stated that CCTV cameras are installed in the examination halls so students should not bear the cost.
They termed the miscellaneous fee of Rs 900 as unfair and termed the increase in certificate and processing fees as excessive.
Parents have also rejected the new fee structure, warning that poor families could be forced to withdraw their daughters from enrollment and intermediate exams.
