Punjab Boards announce massive hike in annual exam fee

LAHORE: In the midst of a severe financial crisis, the education boards have introduced a significant increase in fees for students appearing for the 9th and 10th (matric) annual examinations in March 2025, drawing strong opposition from parents. Apart from this, the boards have implemented a new development fund for students.

The Boards Committee has released the fee schedule for the 2025 exams which includes Rs 1000 certificate fee, Rs 870 processing fee and a new development fund of Rs 350. As a result, each student will now pay a total of Rs 4,380 to appear for the matriculation exam, up from the previous fee of Rs 2,700.

Punjab’s nine education boards are facing financial difficulties, prompting the government to propose their abolition in Favor of a provincial board. Efforts are also underway to deal with the legal challenges that led to protests by employees of the boards.

The admission fee for both regular and private students has been standardized with the following breakdown: Rs 1,800 for admission, Rs 870 for processing, Rs 280 for sports, Rs 80 for scholarship, Rs 350 for development fund, and Rs.1,000 for the certificate. Fees can be submitted with single fee from November 2 to 27, double fee from November 28 to December 11 and triple fee from December 12 to 24.

All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association (APPS&CA) president Irfan Muzaffar Kayani criticized the hike in fees, calling it a burden on low-income families and calling for a 40-50 percent reduction. .

Parents have strongly opposed the fee hike. One such parent, Haji Shafiullah, demanded an immediate withdrawal of the hike and demanded free education up to matriculation.