A recent post by a colleague who had to pay Tk 2.5 lakh as an admission fee for his child at a reputed English medium school made me reflect on an anomaly that we have gotten used to.

Language is not only important for communication, it is also a tool for intellectual and mental development.

Over-expenditure in English education has led to under-expenditure for other subjects, particularly Bangla and STEM subjects.

English medium schools have been charging exorbitant admission and tuition fees in the absence of any guidelines and monitoring, making it a constant struggle for guardians, especially those belonging to the middle-income bracket, to continue their children’s education.

It is somehow taken for granted, by students and parents alike, that there is a fundamental difference between students of Bangla medium and English medium schools. This division carries on to higher education as well.

The Supreme Court stays a High Court order that halted the 7.5 percent value added tax (VAT) on the English medium schools’ tuition fees.

The High Court stays for six months a government decision that imposed 7.5 percent VAT on tuition fees of English medium students.