Private schools in Hyderabad have increased their annual fees by 30 to 40 percent despite regulations set by the CBSE and ICSE boards. Parents are frustrated with the lack of fee regulation committees and guidelines set by the Education department. Even after the High Court ordered for fee regulation guidelines and committees to be established, the Education department has failed to take action. Parents believe schools are taking advantage of the lack of regulations and are collecting heavy fees under the guise of tuition and donations. The Tirupathi Rao Committee recommended an annual hike of no more than 10 percent, but private schools have not followed this recommendation.
Venkata Sainath, joint secretary of Hyderabad Schools Parents Association, stated that parents have protested against the fee hikes, but the Education department has not taken action against schools. One parent shared that their child’s school fee increased from 60,000 to 90,000 in just one year, making it difficult for them to switch schools. Many schools have used the Covid pandemic as a reason for fee hikes, but some parents question why this would still be a reason as things have returned to normal. Parents believe a fraud racket is occurring amongst private schools and call for the State government and Education department to take strict action against these schools.
