The cost of the Intermediate Exam has gone up in Pakistan.

The cost of the Intermediate Exam has gone up in Pakistan.

All 14 of Pakistan’s education boards, including those in Rawalpindi Division, have raised examination fees for students pursuing the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) in response to growing financial strains. Families that are already having difficulty paying for their children’s education will be further alarmed by this fee increase, which will go into force for the 2025 intermediate exams.

According to the revised policy, ordinary students will pay a total of Rs. 4,800, while private candidates are now expected to pay Rs. 5,000. The ordinary category fees for scientific students are Rs. 1,500, while the fees for arts students are Rs. 1,400. For arts and science, private applicants will pay Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 1,600, respectively.

Additionally, each student is required to pay a registration charge of Rs. 1,000, a certificate fee of Rs. 1,000, and a processing fee of Rs. 1,000. The development, scholarship, and postal fees will cost an extra 700 rupees. A No Objection Certificate (NOC) would cost an additional Rs. 1,000 for students switching from other boards.

For single fees, the deadline is November 27; for double fees, it is December 11; and for triple fees, it is December 24. Up to February 11, there is a Rs. 200 daily penalty for late submissions; after February 21, 2025, the penalty rises to Rs. 700 per day.

Parents like Nadeem Asghar and Faisal Mufti, who contend that the government should pay for education as part of its constitutional obligation, are very alarmed by this tuition increase. Many worry that these growing costs may force low-income families out of the educational system, rendering education unaffordable for many pupils.