Quiet Extortion: Online outcry grows against annual re-admission fees in schools

A protest has erupted on Facebook regarding the practice of charging new admission fees every year for students already studying in the same school. Parents and conscious citizens argue that there is no justification for re-admitting a student when they simply move from one class to the next within the same institution. Allegations have surfaced that these annual fees are increasingly turning the education system into a business.

The controversy gained momentum following a viral post by a citizen, Esha Rahman, who questioned the rationale behind the fee. "When a student remains in the same school and simply moves from one grade to the next, the justification for re-admission is questionable. The student isn't changing schools—only their class," she wrote. She added that this recurring financial burden creates "illogical pressure" on parents and creates a mismatch with the fundamental goals of education.

Joining the discourse, Professor Dr. Saklayen Russel, Head of Vascular Surgery at Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital & Research Institute, urged the public to view the issue from a collective social perspective rather than an individual one. "It isn’t about whether I personally have the means to pay; the protest should be for the sake of the general public," he noted in a post.

Renowned child and human rights activist Fatiha Ayat also weighed in via a video message, stating that while a one-time admission fee for new students is standard, charging existing students again is unjustifiable. "If education is turned into a business, middle- and lower-income families become the primary victims. I hope Bangladeshi schools move away from this profit-seeking mindset. If we seek profit from the current generation, we stifle the potential of the future," she said.

The sentiment is echoed by frustrated parents on the ground. Abu Yusuf, a parent, told The Daily Campus that his son is being asked to pay a full admission fee again to enter the second year of college. "The authorities told me it’s simply the 'rule'," he lamented.

Another parent, Kamrul Hasan, went further, labeling the practice as "silent extortion." He called for a unified voice to end what he described as "extortion in the education sector."

While some institutions claim these fees cover administrative and development costs, the lack of a uniform government policy continues to leave parents vulnerable to the arbitrary financial demands of private educational institutions.