College education: Minister takes action against high admission fees

Orders authorities to stop and punish those involved in malpractice

KARACHI: Taking notice of excess admission fee being charged by colleges, education minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar directed on Monday the colleges director-general (DG) Nasir Ansar to take action against the institutes and principals found involved in the malpractice.

The education minister has also directed the accused principals to return the excessive fee to the students within a week and provide the list of such students to the colleges DG. In a statement issued on Monday, he said that admission fee for science and commerce groups for first and second year is Rs550, for general group is Rs500 and admission form charges are Rs10.

Dahar said that it had come into his notice that certain colleges are also selling uniforms and charging more money, which they are not allowed to. The minister requested the parents and students not to pay extra fee and if they face any such case, they should make a complaint to the colleges DG.  The minister warned the principals not to go beyond the prescribed fee structure or else action will be taken against them, which can be suspension and termination from service.

Meanwhile, the colleges DG said that monitoring teams have been formed across the province to keep an eye on the admissions process and to take action against those colleges that are violating the fee structure.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2016.