State Likely To Cap School Fee Hike At 8% Every 2 Years
Govt proposes 8% biennial hike; schools, parents raise concerns
Hyderabad: The school education department has sent a proposal to the government allowing private schools to increase fees by up to eight per cent once every two years.
According to the proposal, any increase beyond this limit will require approval from the state fee regulatory and district committees, which will study the documents and fix the fee, said an official from the school education department. "We are waiting for the approval from the government," the official added.
Private schools rejected the proposal. Telangana Recognised School Management Association president Sadula Madhusudan said, “The government has to revise annual school fees in accordance with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as followed in several other states, including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar. School managements are required to provide annual salary increments to the school staff.”
The government also revises the Dearness Allowance (DA) of its employees every six months. On the same lines, the managements of the private schools wanted the government revise their fees annually by five per cent without requiring prior approval from the Fee Regulation and Monitoring Commission.
The Telangana Recognised Schools' Management Association has already submitted a representation to K. Keshava Rao, who is heading a committee that has been tasked to formulate the Telangana Education Policy, expressing its concerns and recommendations on the school fee regulation.
“No one is discussing the base fee structure; schools have already increased fees. Now we are in January, and the issue is still under discussion,” said Venkat Sainath, president of the Hyderabad Schools Parents Association. He questioned the Telangana Education Commission for its negligence on fee regulation and asked why schools are allowed to run if they cannot fix reasonable fees.
HSPA member Kishore B.V.K. said parents will welcome the move if properly implemented, as some schools increase fees by 50 to 80 per cent every year, while a few schools double the fees every year. He requested the Telangana Education Commission to provide a complaint helpline to address issues faced by parents.