Protesting students said the fee increase would place an additional financial burden on families, particularly those from low- and middle-income groups, and called on the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Peshawar to withdraw the revised charges.
The protesters urged the board to provide relief to students enrolled in government schools, arguing that many of them came from households already struggling with rising living costs.
Under the revised fee structure, the charge for verification of a DMC or original certificate has been increased from Rs805 to Rs2,000 — an increase of Rs1,195, or around 148 per cent.
The fee for a duplicate DMC has been raised from Rs805 to Rs1,500, while the registration fee has increased from Rs700 to Rs1,300.
The examination fee for Grade IX has gone up from Rs2,530 to Rs3,000, while the fee for Grade X has increased from Rs2,990 to Rs3,200.
Similarly, the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) improvement fee has been raised from Rs2,700 to Rs3,600.
The examination fee for Grade XI has increased from Rs2,875 to Rs3,300, while the Grade XII fee has risen from Rs3,105 to Rs3,600.
The Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) improvement fee has also been increased from Rs2,800 to Rs4,000, representing a rise of Rs1,200.
The fee for filing an appeal against an unfair means (UFM) decision has been increased from Rs1,725 to Rs2,000, while the charge for grace marks has risen from Rs345 to Rs600. The sports fee for Grade XI has also been raised from Rs200 to Rs350.
The protesting students said the higher charges would disproportionately affect families already facing financial difficulties. They argued that most students attending government schools belonged to low- or middle-income households and their parents could not easily bear the additional costs.
They particularly criticised the increase in registration and improvement fees, saying students seeking to improve their academic performance should not face excessive financial charges.
The protesters urged BISE Peshawar and the provincial government to review the revised fee structure and withdraw the increases, particularly for government-school students.
They maintained that education should remain accessible to all and that financial constraints should not prevent students from registering with the board, appearing in examinations or improving their results.
The students warned that they would expand their protest if the board failed to reconsider the revised fees.
