Arbitrary fees for character certificates

DOLAKHA, July 27: Community schools in the district have been found charging exhorbitant fees for character certificate.



The schools have been charging between Rs 3,000 to 5,000 for students who passed the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams recently. [break]



These schools charge just around Rs 500 for character certificates for the students preferring to stay with them and demand exorbitant sum from those wishing to go elsewhere.



These schools include popular community schools in the district like Kalinchok Higher Secondary School of Charikot that charges Rs 5,200.



Similarly, Mahendrodaya Higher Secondary School at the district headquarters, Kalinag Higher Secondary School of Sunkhani, Baityashwar Higher Secondary School of Namdu and Kalika Higher Secondary School of Sundrawati are also charging Rs 5,000 for a character certificate.



"There is no fixed rate for character certificates and every school charge arbitrarily," Dolakha President of All Nepal National Free Students´ Union (ANNFSU) Santosh Bimali said and added many schools are charging Rs 3,000 for the same.



These schools argue that they are charging such high fees to keep the students near their home.



"Our school provides higher education in almost every faculty including science. We have charged this fee to make students remain with the school from where they passed SLC," Principal of Kalinchok Higher Secondary School Krishna Bahadur Gautam reasoned.



He argued that the fee was levied to discourage students from going elsewhere despite the school teaching all the subjects.



Student unions have vehemently opposed this practice of charging such high fees. ANNFSU has issued a press statement warning these schools of agitation if the practice was not stopped. It has also urged the students to not pay such high fees. Likewise, Nepal Students´ Union (NSU) has also warned of protests.



Acting District Education Officer Govinda Sedhai, on the other hand, said he can do nothing to stop the practice. "School management committee and school administration set up the fee structure. There is no regulation on the fee limit," Sedhai said. He, however, assured that he would talk with the principals as complaints have been increasing.

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