Some Higher Secondary Schools and Plus Two colleges in the Kathmandu Valley have been found to be charging exorbitant fee under various titles, even from students with full scholarships.

Sunita Pokharel, of Dolakha, said she came to Kathmandu to enroll herself in a Plus Two college. “I took admission in New Baneshwor-based Liverpool International College even though I knew it was an expensive college as I had full scholarship. But I have already paid Rs 36,000 to the college since the time I have joined,” she said. She is a Grade XI science student in the college.

“Rs 36,000 while studying Grade XI for practical and theory examination is a very high fee for a student from a remote village like Dolakha who studied in community schools till Grade X,” she said. “If a college charges such a huge amount from students, scholarships do not make any sense and no student will be proud to win a scholarship,” she added.

It was revealed today when a team mobilised by the Code of Conduct Monitoring Central Committee formed by the Higher Secondary Education Board visited the college to inquire the colleges and students on various issues such as HSS fee structure, scholarship, HSS using foreign names, glossy advertisements and others.

Similarly, NASA International College has also been charging Rs 20,000 from scholarship winners studying science, in the name of practical exam and other titles. Meanwhile, Suprabhat Bhandari, president, Guardians Association Nepal and a member of the monitoring committee, today said they have directed the HSS to return the fee of scholarship awardees. He said HSEB had earlier allowed HSS to collect a maximum of Rs 12,000 from students for practical examination but now this provision has been scrapped.

source: the himalayan times,17 june 2014