Certificate fee, earlier Rs550, increased to Rs1,000; new charge for installation of CCTV cameras is levied
RAWALPINDI:
To cope with a severe financial crisis, the education boards have imposed what has been described as a massive “fee bomb” on students appearing for board exams.
A new fee for installing CCTV cameras at exam centers has also been levied on students along with an extra Rs900 under a newly introduced miscellaneous fee.
The certificate fee, earlier Rs550, has been increased to Rs1,000. As a result of new fees and taxes, private candidates appearing in FA/FSc annual exams will now pay a total of Rs7,730, while regular students will pay Rs7,570.
All Pakistani private school associations have outright rejected the fee hike. Officials estimate that Punjab’s education boards will generate up to Rs 15 billion through the increased fees. Every year, between 1.8 to 2 million students appear in examinations conducted by Punjab’s nine education boards. When both undergraduate and intermediate students are counted, the number exceeds 3.5 million. Boards conduct two examinations annually – annual and supplementary – with around 50 percent participation in supplementary examinations as well.
For Intermediate Annual Examinations commencing on May 20, 2026, the revised fees include: Entrance 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, Scholarship Rs 350, Scholarship Rs 350. and postage DKK 300.
Intermediate admission fees have been fixed at Rs1,700 for regular arts students, Rs1,740 for regular science students, Rs1,800 for private arts students and Rs1,900 for private science students.
All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association President Abrar Ahmed Khan, All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association President Irfan Muzaffar Kiani and All Pakistan Private Schools Association (Registered) President Malik Naseem Ahmed strongly condemned the hike, stating that CCTV cameras have been installed in examination halls so that students should not be burdened with the cost.
They termed the Rs900 miscellaneous fee unfair and termed the increase in certificate and processing fees excessive.
Parents have also rejected the new fee structure, warning that poor families may be forced to withdraw their daughters from matriculation and mid-term exams.
