Hyderabad: The implementation of regulations on private school fees has been delayed, despite ongoing demands and promises. The issue of fee regulation dates back to 1994 when the government issued rules for fee collection. These rules allowed schools to earn a profit of five percent, with 50 percent of fees going towards teacher salaries. The Telangana government adopted these rules after the state was formed. However, they have not been effectively implemented since then.
In 2018, a committee headed by the former Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University submitted a report on private school fee regulation. The report included recommendations for making schools more accountable. These recommendations included a ban on school donations and requiring schools to submit annual audit reports online for fee increases. However, the government did not make the report public or take action on the recommendations.
In January 2018, an order was issued by Justice A. V. Sesha Sai asking schools to deposit any excess fees in separate bank accounts pending further orders. However, many schools have not followed this order. Additionally, private corporate schools have failed to implement a government order issued during the COVID pandemic to provide relief to parents from excessive fees.
The Hyderabad School Parents Association has been fighting against fee exploitation and states that the government has not successfully implemented any provisions related to fee regulation. The State High Court questioned the government on the absence of a regulatory mechanism for school fees in November 2021. A cabinet sub-committee was formed but has not produced any concrete results.
