Talks On School Fee Regulation See No End

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government’s attempt to introduce a Fee Regulatory and Monitoring Commission for private schools and junior colleges has struck in a long drawn consultations, with little clarity on its implementation.

The bill, originally drafted by the Telangana Education Commission (TEC), proposes changes to how private institutions can set and revise their fees. It demands that every private school, regardless of size or fee structure, submit financial proposals to a district committee for approval, three months ahead of the admission season.

Telangana Recognised School Managements Association (TRSMA) president Madhusudan Sadula, however, warned that such a model could collapse under its own weight. “You cannot verify 12,000 schools in time. This will only lead to corruption,” he said. He added that most private schools in Telangana are budget institutions. “You can’t treat a school charging `5,000 and one charging `5 lakh the same way.”

During a meeting with minister D. Sridhar Babu, several associations representing schools have objected to the proposed composition of Parent-Teacher Committees. They argued that school governing bodies, as per earlier government orders, are better suited to handle financial decisions. There are also calls to exempt schools charging below `50,000 at primary level from fee approvals entirely.

Others, however, felt that some speedy consensus should be reached for the issue is important. “Fee hikes in the middle of the academic year are the bigger problem. Whatever is done should be through consensus,” said Y.C. Chowdhury from Independent Schools Management Association (ISMA).

Parent associations have also expressed concerns over the delay in giving clarity on the issue. The CBSE academic year is already underway and many schools have completed their admission process. Despite that, the government has only now begun collecting feedback.

Venkat Sainath of Hyderabad School Parents Association (HSPA) said the Bill is unlikely to come into effect this academic year. “The draft says proposals must be submitted three months before admissions. That time is gone. Nothing has happened. Nothing will.”

He further added how some private schools used this announcement as an opportunity to hike fees further. “The moment TEC announced the draft Bill some schools hiked the fees by 30-60 per cent. And they will do another round of that before this gets properly implemented. That will make over a 100 per cent hike even if it gets implemented next year.”

Though the Education Commission assured that the fee hikes have to be brought down after the Bill was legislated, parents are unconvinced. “We all know that it won’t happen. Neither will the refund nor will the government be able to make the schools get rid of these hikes,” said Venkat Sainath.

Bro. Shaw Reddy from the Christian Missionary Schools Association said that while excessive hikes should be curbed, regulation must account for diversity. “Some parents want certain facilities. If we have swimming pools or smart classrooms, that’s based on their demand. Many of our schools have been operating for over a century, providing good education at reasonable cost. Blanket regulation doesn’t fit.”

While managements worry about administrative overreach, child rights activists say the delays in implementation stem from pressure being exerted by private schools. E. Raghunandan from Balala Hakkula Sankshema Sangham said, “Parents associations must get stronger if this Bill is to ever move beyond talk.”