April 21, 2003	Monday	Safar 18, 1424

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SWABI, April 20: Following the provincial government orders to implement the decision on free education up to matric, the heads of educational institutions are confused whether or not to realize admission and tuition fees from the students.

Heads of a number of schools told Dawn on Sunday that they had not received any official letter from the education department about the admission fee.

Sources in the education department said that the government had made it clear to the people that tuition fee would not be realized from the students, and the admission fee along with other fees would be payable.

The sources said that last year each student had paid Rs72 as tuition fee along with other fees. In the current year, the sources said, the students would pay admission fee at the rate of Rs8, examination, scout and sport fee Rs15 each, medical fee Rs3, poor fund Rs3 and Red Crescent fee Rs2.

Each student, the sources said, would pay about Rs61 instead of Rs133. However, the sources said that the district education office had also not received any instructions about the admission fee after the announcement of free education policy by the government.

The sources said that the education officials had verbally told the principles/headmasters that they should direct the staff to avoid collecting tuition fee, but the remaining fees would be paid.

Meanwhile, the residents of various localities have approached the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal MNAs and MPAs and raised questions with them about the government’s free education policy.

They complained that the school staff collected admission as well as other fees from the students against the government’s policy provide free education up to matric in government schools.

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