Hyderabad Primary Elite School Fees Hit ₹3 Lakh Yearly
A screenshot of a school’s Rs 2.51 lakh nursery bill in mid-2025 triggered one of the largest discussions, with users across the country questioning how a city with so many unaided schools still lacked regulation.
Hyderabad: Every few months, a photograph of a school fee circular from Hyderabad appears on social media and sparks nationwide disbelief. One week, it is a Rs 2.5 lakh nursery fee slip; another time, a Rs 3.2 lakh Class 3 statement with additional heads for “activity” and “Olympiad” fees. Parents post screenshots, while others calculate what the bus charge alone would amount to.
“The total earnings come close to Rs 9 lakh per month per bus,” one user wrote. Another commented, “If the annual tuition fee is deposited in an FD for 10 years, the maturity value touches Rs 34.5 lakh.” The conclusion, many say, is that education — legally a fundamental right — has become a luxury in the state.
“What cost Rs 40,000 when I started this fight is now over Rs 2-3 lakh,” said Venkat Sainath of the Hyderabad Schools Parents’ Association (HSPA). “Parents are left with no forum to question schools.” He said that after more than a decade of campaigns, Hyderabad’s private school fees have reached a point where the middle class “pays more for kindergarten than some pay for college.”
On HSPA’s pages, parents exchange experiences: one complained of a Rs 45,000 “initiation fee,” another listed Rs 2,000 charged for books that cost half elsewhere, and many pointed to varying “transport,” “development,” and “exam” fees each term.
A screenshot of a school’s Rs 2.51 lakh nursery bill in mid-2025 triggered one of the largest discussions, with users across the country questioning how a city with so many unaided schools still lacked regulation.
A 2017 government order (GO Ms. 1) already prescribes a fee structure — half for salaries, 15 per cent each for maintenance, development and staff welfare, and only five per cent as management income. It also requires schools to form governing bodies with parent representatives and publicly display fee structures. Compliance remains poor.
In 2025, the Telangana Education Commission (TEC) drafted a Bill proposing a Fee Regulatory and Monitoring Commission, chaired by a retired judge or senior official. It would allow fee hikes once every two years linked to the Consumer Price Index, cap fees by school category, and levy fines up to Rs 10 lakh or cancel recognition. “The draft has been referred to the cabinet sub-committee,” said Prof. A. Vishveshwar Rao, a member of the commission.
“The government is consulting legal experts. There is pressure from parents. It must come into force next academic year.”
He added that the system would classify schools into budget, middle-tier, corporate, and international categories for rational regulation.
In September 2025, Prof. A. Vinayak Reddy, a retired economist from Kakatiya University, filed a public interest petition in the Telangana High Court alleging that private schools were charging arbitrary fees in violation of multiple education orders.
His petition lists six government circulars on fee caps, infrastructure norms, naming practices, and the Right to Education Act’s 25 per cent quota for disadvantaged children.
“Private schools are doing business,” he said. “They collect Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh without any control. The Tirupathi Rao Committee’s report on fees was never made public.”
Reddy’s plea seeks enforcement of the 2017 order and inspection of all private schools. The next hearing is awaited. Meanwhile, Sainath said HSPA will revive its contempt petition by mid-November. “We will go back to court this month since nothing seems to be changing,” he said.