Payment for setting and marking examination papers

Question

Question: (1) Universities and madrasas generally have examiners set the questions, which takes up the time of these gentlemen. (2) Then these gentlemen also have to look over the examination answers, in which a large part of their time is spent; moreover, sending them off and the like is also their responsibility. (3) So is the remuneration for this labour given to these gentlemen as a gratuitous gift (tabarru‘), and is it proper or not to take the service fee (haqq al-khidma)

Answer

In the case asked about there are two tasks: one is setting the examination questions, the other is looking over the examination answers. Taking remuneration for the first is proper according to the Shari‘a, provided both the work and the remuneration are fixed beforehand — in such a way, for example, that a question of so many lines is to be written on paper of such a size…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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