Punjab Boards roll out major increase in examination fees

Punjab’s education boards have imposed a significant increase in examination fees across the province, citing a severe financial shortfall.

Education boards in Punjab have revised the fee structure for FA and FSc examinations, introducing new charges that have increased the overall cost for students. The boards added a CCTV installation fee at examination centers and imposed a new miscellaneous charge of Rs900. In addition, the certificate fee has been raised from Rs 550 to Rs 1,000.

Following the revised structure, private candidates appearing in FA and FSc annual examinations will now pay Rs730, while regular students will pay Rs7570. Officials estimate that the revised fees could generate up to Rs15 billion for education boards across Punjab.

For the intermediate annual examinations scheduled to begin on May 20, 2026, the updated breakdown includes an admission fee of Rs1000, a registration fee of Rs 1,000, a processing fee of Rs1000, a certificate fee of Rs1000, a miscellaneous fee of Rs 900, and a CCTV fee of Rs 30. Additional charges include development fees of Rs350, scholarship fees of Rs250, and postal charges of Rs300.

Moreover, the boards have set separate admission fees based on category and subject. Regular arts students will pay Rs1700, regular science students Rs1740, private arts students Rs1800, and private science students Rs1900.

Meanwhile, the fee increase has drawn strong criticism from private school associations across the country. Leaders of the All Pakistan Private Schools Associations have rejected the revised charges, calling them unnecessary and unjustified. They argued that examination halls already have CCTV cameras and stressed that students should not be burdened with additional costs.