Early Admissions, Hidden Charges at Private Schools Spark Outrage
Despite official guidelines, several schools have concluded the admission process for the 2025–26 academic year months in advance, luring parents with early bird discounts and hiking fees after admission.
Tirupati: Criticism of private and corporate schools across Tirupati and Chittoor districts is mounting for violation of admission norms and burdening parents with arbitrary fee hikes.
Despite official guidelines, several schools have concluded the admission process for the 2025–26 academic year months in advance, luring parents with early bird discounts and hiking fees after admission.
Parents allege institutions are engaging in deceptive practices, like advance bookings, special batches and agent-based seat allocations, which they describe as a racket of commercialising education. “We were told we would get a discount if we paid early. But after the admission, the school added extra charges for various special programmes that had never been clearly mentioned,” said Yamini Reddy Malasani, a parent from Tirupati.
Many schools are introducing so-called premium batches under labels like IIT, Techno and Spark, each with its own fee structure. Some are conducting entrance tests despite clear restrictions on such assessments during admissions. Based on these, managements are classifying students and levying differential fees.
This has not only put parents under financial pressure but has created needless academic stress among children.
Such practices are widespread in areas including Tirupati, Chittoor, Chandragiri, Srikalahasti, Satyavedu, Tiruchanoor and Renigunta. Activists charge that despite being aware of these issues, education officials are not intervening.
“There have been no inspections, no action. Officials are either inactive or colluding with school managements,” charged AISF national secretary Siva Reddy.
Under the previous regime, a fee regulation commission had been constituted to curb such irregularities. It regularly investigated complaints, conducted surprise inspections, and acted against non-compliant institutions.
Parents and activists blame the current government for not enforcing these mechanisms. Parent associations and student unions have gone on to demand that the district education department initiate immediate inspections. They say if unchecked commercialisation of education continues, public trust in the education system will collapse, apart from burning a hole in the parents’ pockets.
“State government must step in and regulate private school fees before it is too late," the AISF secretary demanded.