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Hyderabad: Parents are in an uproar over private schools, as per sources, communicating a 20 per cent fee hike from the next academic session, with many frustrated by a lack of transparency and demanding a regulatory bill or GO (government order) to address the issue.
Among the latest causes cited by schools for a fee hike is the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning courses, which the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommended be introduced and incorporated into the regular study curriculum.
Multiple schools in the city are working towards including these courses in their syllabus.
Parents, who said they are already grappling with exorbitant fees, expressed growing apprehension about the affordability of quality education.
Purnima Bala, a parent, said, “We were told about a possible increase in the fee structure, but we neither expected it to be this high and in the very next academic year.”
Another parent, not wishing to be named, said: “When we asked during a parents and management association meeting earlier this month, it was conveyed that it’s because they are required to comply with the ‘new rules’. We understand the importance of technology and AI in education, but the sudden surge in fees is alarming. Many parents like myself, who have three children, are struggling, and this makes access to quality education challenging.”
Schools, however, defend the fee adjustments, emphasising the necessity of integrating AI courses to prepare students for the evolving job market.
A representative of a private school in the city said that the introduction of AI courses was a crucial move to equip students with skills for the future. “The fee adjustment is a reflection of the resources and expertise required for these cutting-edge programmes,” the representative said.
Parents, however, were not convinced by the rationale, given the sudden hike.
Pallavi Ranganath, a mother of two and the general secretary of her children's parent group, said that parents want their children to be well-prepared for the future, but schools should have communicated these changes in advance.
“It's the unexpected financial burden that worries us. Moreover, these aren't essential courses and we should be given the choice of going for electives,” she said.
Parents are seeking government intervention to address the escalating costs, fearing that the pursuit of advanced education might become financially burdensome. Many even decried schools’ directives to buy books and uniforms from the premises or a particular vendor when the same was available for a cheaper price elsewhere.
“The school even demands that the students buy fresh textbooks and not use hand-me-downs for some weird reason of it not being distracting or the child feeling let down for not having new books like that of his/her classmates. Why are schools deciding this for me?” K. Preetam asked.
The CBSE had earlier asked schools not to force students to buy expensive textbooks produced by private publishers, rather than those belonging to the NCERT or CBSE. It warned that such schools would be penalised for indulging in commercial activities, including selling books, uniforms, shoes and stationery items.
Multiple schools in the city are working towards including these courses in their syllabus.
Parents, who said they are already grappling with exorbitant fees, expressed growing apprehension about the affordability of quality education.
Purnima Bala, a parent, said, “We were told about a possible increase in the fee structure, but we neither expected it to be this high and in the very next academic year.”
Another parent, not wishing to be named, said: “When we asked during a parents and management association meeting earlier this month, it was conveyed that it’s because they are required to comply with the ‘new rules’. We understand the importance of technology and AI in education, but the sudden surge in fees is alarming. Many parents like myself, who have three children, are struggling, and this makes access to quality education challenging.”
Schools, however, defend the fee adjustments, emphasising the necessity of integrating AI courses to prepare students for the evolving job market.
A representative of a private school in the city said that the introduction of AI courses was a crucial move to equip students with skills for the future. “The fee adjustment is a reflection of the resources and expertise required for these cutting-edge programmes,” the representative said.
Parents, however, were not convinced by the rationale, given the sudden hike.
Pallavi Ranganath, a mother of two and the general secretary of her children's parent group, said that parents want their children to be well-prepared for the future, but schools should have communicated these changes in advance.
“It's the unexpected financial burden that worries us. Moreover, these aren't essential courses and we should be given the choice of going for electives,” she said.
Parents are seeking government intervention to address the escalating costs, fearing that the pursuit of advanced education might become financially burdensome. Many even decried schools’ directives to buy books and uniforms from the premises or a particular vendor when the same was available for a cheaper price elsewhere.
“The school even demands that the students buy fresh textbooks and not use hand-me-downs for some weird reason of it not being distracting or the child feeling let down for not having new books like that of his/her classmates. Why are schools deciding this for me?” K. Preetam asked.
The CBSE had earlier asked schools not to force students to buy expensive textbooks produced by private publishers, rather than those belonging to the NCERT or CBSE. It warned that such schools would be penalised for indulging in commercial activities, including selling books, uniforms, shoes and stationery items.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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