Parents Lose Nearly 12 Crore BDT; Education Ministry Orders Probe

In addition to its main Motijheel campus, Ideal School and College, Dhaka, operates two other branches in the capital. Currently, 32,000 students are enrolled across these three branches. In 2026, the institution reportedly charged 3,695 BDT more per student for admission and re-admission than the government-fixed fee.

Consequently, more than 11 crore 82 lakh BDT has been collected in excess from the parents of these 32,000 students. Following a written complaint submitted to the Ministry of Education by a group of parents, an investigation is now underway. The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry has issued a letter to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) to conduct the probe.

When asked about the matter on Sunday (April 19), Rowshan Jahan, the Acting Principal of Motijheel Ideal College, told The Daily Campus, "I joined on March 9. For the last three years, fees and other charges have been collected in this manner. Our Chairman Sir is very busy. When the parents raised the issue, there was a plan to hold an exchange of views with Sir; I asked them to wait. Since a complaint has already been lodged with the Ministry, how can we sit for a meeting now? However, if they wish, we can still sit together. Since DSHE will investigate us, we will provide our explanation there."

She further added, "Our institution is an MPO-listed one. Financial security is necessary after retirement. Therefore, money is being collected for the gratuity fund. To retain good teachers, financial security must be ensured; otherwise, good teachers will not stay. We have nearly 700 teachers."

Shireen Akter, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education, told The Daily Campus on Sunday (April 19), "We have sent a letter to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) to investigate the matter. Let them investigate first, then action will be taken."

According to a recent complaint filed with the Education Minister and the Education Secretary, session fees are being collected from regular students despite a High Court verdict abolishing session fees for re-admission. The students of this institution study from Class I to Class XII. The High Court ruled that from 2025, session fees cannot be collected annually from regular students; they can only be collected from new students.

"We have sent a letter to the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) to investigate the matter. Let them investigate first, then action will be taken."

— Shireen Akter, Senior Assistant Secretary, Secondary and Higher Education Division, Ministry of Education

However, the Motijheel Ideal School authorities are allegedly disregarding this High Court verdict. Instead, they are reportedly pressuring students to submit tuition fees along with session fees. It is even being claimed that students will not be allowed to sit for the upcoming first terminal examination—an ultimatum that is demoralizing the young students and insulting the parents. Despite informing the Headmaster and the Principal, no heed was paid, leading the parents to seek guidance from the Education Minister.

In their application, parents stated, "Most of us are government or private employees and small business owners with limited income. Already, about 4 months of tuition fees are overdue. Paying such a large sum at once has become extremely difficult for us."

The application also mentioned, "There is approximately 252 crore BDT in the Motijheel Ideal School fund, a large portion of which comes from annual session fees and unjustified fee sectors. The sectors for which money is collected alongside monthly tuition are not logical. We, the conscious parents, believe far more money is being taken than is actually spent. An audit team under the Education Minister should analyze the fee sectors and expenditures. We believe this would allow for a reduction in tuition fees."

Parents demanded a final decision from the school authorities regarding the cancellation of session fees for re-admission and requested arrangements so that students can participate in the upcoming terminal exams despite the fee dispute.

According to the admission forms, while the 'Building, Repair, and Maintenance' sector should not charge any money per the tuition fee policy, Motijheel Ideal School and College is charging 700 BDT per student. For the 'Electricity' sector, 300 BDT is being charged instead of 30 BDT. While the combined fee for 'Miscellaneous/Gratuity/Incidental' should be 50 BDT, the institution is charging 165 BDT for 'Miscellaneous' and 850 BDT for 'Gratuity.' Additionally, instead of 25 BDT for 'Benevolent/Welfare/Financial Aid,' Ideal School is charging 500 BDT for 'Benevolent' and 200 BDT for 'Financial Aid.'

In 2026, 5,200 BDT was collected from each student (new and old) across 17 sectors, including sports, library, law, and consultancy, totaling 8,000 BDT including January’s tuition. For old students, the 17 sectors include financial aid, generator, WASA, municipal tax, gas, and diary-syllabus-calendar. For new students, the 17 sectors include an admission fee of 1,350 BDT.

In this way, Motijheel Ideal School and College is allegedly taking 3,695 BDT extra per student annually. However, in the application to the Ministry, parents claimed an excess of 2,115 BDT per year.

It is reported that according to the 'Tuition Fee Policy-2024,' a total of 2,650 BDT should be collected across 11 sectors. Instead, the institution is collecting a total of 6,345 BDT across 17 sectors. This discrepancy led to the parents' complaint.

Following their complaint, a notice signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Shireen Akter on April 15 ordered an investigation and report. The notice to DSHE stated: "You are requested to investigate the received application regarding the irregularities of Motijheel Ideal School and College and submit a report."

Regarding this, Fahim Uddin Ahmad, Acting President of the Guardians' Unity Forum, and General Secretary Md. Selim Mia said in a statement, "The government issued the Tuition Fee Policy in 2024 for implementation in private educational institutions across the country. But the Governing Body Presidents of Motijheel Ideal School and College and Viqarunnisa Noon School and College are not implementing this policy. Despite being policymakers, their failure to implement the Ministry's policy is damaging the government's image."

They further added, "Since the beginning of the interim government, these chairpersons have repeatedly held their positions and are lobbying to remain. We want immediate implementation of the 'Tuition Fee Policy' and a quick refund of the excess money collected from students. We also demand the cancellation of committees in institutions that have violated the policy and call for fresh elections."