In a major development, the High Court (HC) yesterday declared illegal the collection of session fees from students of English-medium schools. Such fees were imposed on students following their promotion to a higher class.  The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arief and Justice Md Badruzzaman delivered the verdict after hearing two separate writ petitions, filed by the guardians of the students of an English-medium school
students, challenging the legality of the practice of charging extra money in the name of admission fee, session fee, or even VAT. The HC bench also issued a set of directives to ensure transparency in running such institutions.
The court’s verdict said every English-medium educational institution must form managing committees, comprising guardians, teachers and instituion authorities, to run them.
Such committees will appoint the teachers and other staff by advertising for vacancies in newspapers and will determine their salaries and benefits.
These committees will fix all fees, including the admission fees, for students. The authorities of English-medium schools must abide by the Registration of Private Schools Ordinance, 1962 and private (English medium) school rule 2007 to run their institutions, said the HC verdict.
Students of English-medium schools must be taught subjects like Bangla, education, culture and heritage, and the history of Bangladesh, including the contribution of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and freedom fighters, the verdict added.
The school authorities must organise programmes to mark national days, it observed. The HC bench stressed that all schools must give lessons on Bangla language so that students can speak and write it fluently.
It directed the education ministry to issue a circular containing its directive within a month and submit a compliant report within six months.
Badruddoza Badal, barrister Aneek R Haque and advocate K R Khan Robin appeared before the HC for the petitioners during the hearing. Later, they told reporters that English-medium school authorities have to follow the HC verdict concerning the charging of admission fees.