In the absence of a specific guideline on monthly tuition fees, most of the renowned private schools in Dhaka have increased the fees of the students by a huge margin, triggering uproar among the guardians.

The schools of repute increase the tuition fees almost every year, citing rise in maintenance and other costs.

But this year, the institutions hiked the fees by 50 to 100 percent and they have used the increases in public servants' salaries as the excuse.

Protesting this, guardians have staged demonstrations, formed human chains and observed sit-ins in the past two weeks but the schools have not budged from their decisions.

Among the Dhaka-based schools that hiked the fees most are Willes Little Flower School and College, Viqarunnisa Noon School, Udayan Higher Secondary School and College, BIAM Model School and College, Mohammadpur Preparatory Higher Secondary Girls' School and College, Shaheed Police Smrity School and College, Shaheed Bir Uttam Lt Anwar Girls' School and College, and Bangladesh Bank High School and College.

Similar move by 46 schools run by Chittagong City Corporation and the Navy School and College have also met with protests.

Guardians say the sudden fee hike will put most families, especially the middle income groups and those with multiple school-going kids, in immense pressure.

"Please, do write something so that we can continue our children's studies. Otherwise, we have to stop their education," said Asma Akter, whose four children study at the Willes school.

The tuition fee of the eldest, a ninth grader (English medium), has risen to Tk 3,100 from Tk 2,100 and of the two daughters, who study in Class-VII and Class-V (English version) to Tk 2,550 from Tk 1,500.

The monthly tuition fee of her youngest daughter, a second grader, has been hiked to Tk 1,500 from Tk 675.

"My husband runs a vulcanising shop and he is already struggling to meet the expenses of my children's education with his income. The sudden increase would cost us dearly," Asma told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Not all those who send their kids to this school are well-off. Many children from middle-class families study here as well.

"We have no one to share our pains. Where should we go? Should we stop sending our kids to school?" she said.

The guardians under the banner of Willes Little Flower School and College Obhibhabok Forum have been protesting the fee hike since the first week of this month.

"The school authorities have increased the fees by 50 to 85 percent for different classes. Whenever we speak to the principal, he tells us to send our kids to some other schools, which is very insulting," Shamima Sultana Rexona, spokesperson for the forum, told The Daily Star.

When the school authorities increased the tuition fees in 2014, they assured of not doing it for at least three years, she said.

"But they hiked the fees illogically," she said, adding that they would observe two-hour sit-ins from today until the school authorities cancel the fee hike.

Abul Hossain, principal of the school, said they needed to raise the fees. "We have to increase the salaries of the teachers and staff. They have threatened to go on strike otherwise."

Viqarunnisa school has increased the tuition fees from Tk 800 to Tk 1,500 for Class-I to Class-V, and from Tk 900 to Tk 1,700 for Class-VII to Class-IX.

Principal Sufia Khatun said they had no alternative but to do this.

"We have to pay the teachers who are not under the government's monthly pay order (MPO) facility. Besides, it is not possible to raise teachers' salaries without hiking the fees," she told reporters.

The fees for Class-II to Class-IX of Udayan school has been fixed at TK 1,200 from Tk 800, and for Class-I at Tk 2,000 from Tk 1,000, according to guardians.

NO GUIDELINE ON TUITION FEE

"The schools are increasing the tuition fees since the government has not issued any specific guideline on it," said Ziaul Kabir Dulu, president of Obhibhabok Oikya Forum, a national platform of guardians.

The government has an admission policy and all that it says about the fees is the capital-based Bangla medium schools, which enjoy MPO facilities partially, can charge a student highest Tk 8,000 as monthly fees, session charge and development fees during the admission.

Tk 10,000 is the ceiling for the English version schools.

The policy says nothing specifically on the monthly tuition fees.

"Taking advantage of this, the schools have hiked the fees," said Ziaul Kabir.

He said his forum has already submitted a memorandum to the education ministry, seeking inclusion of specific directives on the tuition fees in the admission policy.

"We will wage tougher movement and go to court if necessary," he added.

Educationist Rasheda K Choudhury too criticised the fee rise.

She described the government pay scale excuse that the schools are showing to justify their decision as lame.

"The fee hike is not consistent with the rise in the pay scale."

"What the schools are simply doing is business and this is what worries us," said Rasheda, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education.

Prof Fahima Khatun, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), admitted the absence of specific guidelines on tuition fees.

"That does not mean that the schools will do whatever they wish ... It cannot be allowed," she told The Daily Star.

On the steps the government was taking in this regard, Prof Fahima said the directorate has already investigated the allegations of fee hike at Willes school and issued a show-cause notice to the principal of the school.

"We've sent the report to the [education] ministry. It will now decide on the next course of action," she said.