No re-admission fee can be charged from students: Ministry of Education

ফাইল ছবি

News Desk: The Ministry of Education has issued a new “Financial Transparency and Accountability Policy for Educational Institutions” aimed at preventing financial irregularities, ensuring transparency, and strengthening accountability across educational institutions nationwide. The policy clearly states that no re-admission fee may be charged from any student already enrolled in an institution.

The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry issued the policy on Wednesday (February 18).

According to the policy, private educational institutions (schools, school and colleges, higher secondary colleges, and the higher secondary level of degree colleges) may collect tuition fees only as determined under the “Tuition Fee Policy 2024.” Institutions are prohibited from creating any new fee categories to collect additional money.

The policy further states that all income and expenditure of private educational institutions must strictly comply with existing government financial rules and regulations. Institutional accounts must be jointly operated with the signatures of the president of the managing committee and the head of the institution. The head of the institution will be responsible for maintaining records of all financial transactions.

If any financial irregularities or corruption occur through the managing committee, the individuals concerned will be held accountable and action will be taken against them in accordance with existing laws and regulations. The policy also specifies that both the managing committee president and the head of the institution will be jointly responsible for financial misconduct.

Regarding income management, the policy states that when opening a bank account in the name of an educational institution, priority must be given to state-owned banks. All fees paid by students, as well as donations, grants, and income from property, must be received through designated bank accounts, the Sonali Payment Gateway (SPG), or payment gateways of other state-owned banks.

However, in cases of emergency or natural disaster, cash may be accepted with prior approval from the Ministry of Education. In such cases, the collected funds must be deposited into the bank within two working days.

The Ministry also stated that any addition, removal, or modification in income and expenditure categories will require prior approval. Funds collected under specific heads designated by the relevant education board or university must be deposited following proper procedures.