All 14 education boards in Pakistan, including those in Rawalpindi Division, have announced a hike in examination fees for Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) students, citing a severe financial crisis. This increase will apply to the 2025 intermediate exams and is expected to disproportionately impact low-income families, causing concern among parents about the growing financial burden on students.
Under the new fee structure, private candidates will now be required to pay Rs. 5,000, while regular students will pay Rs. 4,800 in combined fees. Specific fees within these totals are Rs. 1,400 for arts students and Rs. 1,500 for science students in the regular category, while private students will pay Rs. 1,500 for arts and Rs. 1,600 for science.
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In addition to the examination fees, each student must pay a registration fee of Rs. 1,000, a certificate fee of Rs. 1,000, a processing fee of Rs. 1,000, as well as development, scholarship, and postal charges amounting to Rs. 700. Students transferring from other boards will also need to pay a No Objection Certificate (NOC) fee of Rs. 1,000.
The deadline for submitting fees with a single payment is November 27, followed by December 11 with double fees, and December 24 with triple fees. After that, a daily penalty of Rs. 200 will be imposed until February 11, 2025, after which an escalated penalty of Rs. 700 will apply until February 21, 2025.
Parents like Nadeem Asghar and Faisal Mufti have expressed their frustration, arguing that the government, under constitutional obligations, should be providing free education. They fear that this fee hike will make education unaffordable for many economically disadvantaged students, further exacerbating inequalities in access to education.
