Institutions Can No Longer Charge Re-Admission Fees: High Court Ruling

High Court has ruled that educational institutions cannot charge re-admission fees from students already enrolled once they move to the next class after passing annual exams. The directive came today (Wednesday, 18 February). This follows a writ petition filed on 25 January by the non-governmental organization Bangladesh Law and Rights Aid seeking cancellation of re-admission fees.

The petition described re-admission fees as the most “terrifying and silent exploitation” in the education system, continuing year after year. It argued that education has turned into a “commodity” and parents into “hostage customers,” forcing middle-class and lower-middle-class families into severe financial crisis and inhuman living conditions to afford their children’s education.

The NGO’s Executive Director Ali Asgar Imon told journalists that under the Education Ministry’s November policy on admission in private schools, colleges, and attached primary levels, institutions can only charge annual session fees for promoted students—not separate re-admission fees. He said this illegal practice is openly violated across thousands of institutions nationwide, with no effective action from education boards, district administrations, or the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education.

Imon added that the ministry’s recently issued “Financial Transparency and Accountability Policy for Educational Institutions” (published Monday, 16 February) explicitly prohibits re-admission fees to ensure transparency, curb financial irregularities, and strengthen accountability in schools and colleges.