Punjab education boards have sharply increased examination fees to address a serious financial shortfall, adding new costs for students appearing in board exams this year.
Boards have introduced several new charges, including a fee for installing CCTV cameras at examination centers. They have also imposed a new miscellaneous fee of Rs. 900 on candidates.
Boards have raised the certificate fee from Rs. 550 to Rs. 1,000. After adding all new charges and existing taxes, private candidates appearing in FA and FSc annual examinations will now pay Rs. 7,730, while regular students will pay Rs. 7,570.
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The All Pakistan Private Schools Associations have rejected the fee increase. Officials estimate that Punjab’s education boards could collect up to Rs. 15 billion through the revised fee structure.
Each year, Punjab’s nine education boards conduct exams for around 1.8 to 2 million students. When both matriculation and intermediate candidates are counted, the number exceeds 3.5 million. Boards hold annual and supplementary exams, with nearly half of the students appearing in supplementary papers.
For the intermediate annual examinations starting May 20, 2026, boards have set the admission fee at Rs. 1,000 and the registration, processing, and certificate fees at Rs. 1,000 each. Other charges include a Rs. 900 miscellaneous fee, Rs. 30 for CCTV installation, Rs. 350 in development charges, Rs. 250 as a scholarship fee, and Rs. 300 for postal charges.
Intermediate admission fees now stand at Rs. 1,700 for regular arts students, Rs. 1,740 for regular science students, Rs. 1,800 for private arts students, and Rs. 1,900 for private science students.
Leaders of private schools associations, including Abrar Ahmed Khan, Irfan Muzaffar Kiani, and Malik Naseem Ahmed, criticized the increase. They said boards already install CCTV cameras in exam halls and should not pass the cost on to students. They also called the miscellaneous, certificate, and processing fee hikes unjustified.
Parents have also opposed the new fee structure. Many warned that rising costs could force low-income families to pull their daughters out of matriculation and intermediate examinations.
