Consultations Begin on Regulating Fees in Telangana Private Schools
This move to regulate private school fees is a major step for the Congress government, as previous efforts in both unified Andhra Pradesh and post-bifurcation Telangana have failed to withstand legal scrutiny.
Hyderabad: The state government has initiated the exercise of holding consultations with parents associations and managements of private schools on the issue of regulating fees in private schools and finding an amicable solution.
On Monday, the Cabinet sub committee on educational reforms headed by IT minister D Sridhar Babu convened a meeting at the Secretariat with education department officials, parents and private school representatives. The core focus was on fee regulation in private schools.
The committee gathered the opinion of all stakeholders and stated that further consultations will be held before submittting the report to the state government on formulating a regulatory framework to control fees in private schools on the lines of AFRC regulating fees in professional colleges.
On January 24 this year, the Telangana Education Commission (TEC), chaired by retired IAS officer Akunuri Murali, submitted its comprehensive report to the government, containing several recommendations for regulating the fee structure of private schools. The state government has referred the report to the cabinet sub-committee for further study.
This move to regulate private school fees is a major step for the Congress government, as previous efforts in both unified Andhra Pradesh and post-bifurcation Telangana have failed to withstand legal scrutiny.
Sridhar Babu said efforts will be made to restore public confidence in government schools and revive their past glory. Curriculum reforms are underway to equip students from an early age with skills in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.
From the 2025–26 academic year, the government will launch 1,000 experimental pre-schools meeting international standards. These schools will be developed in collaboration with private entities through CSR funding, establishing them as national exemplars. The curriculum and training materials for these schools are being prepared in partnership with experts from the SCERT. Key officials who participated in the meeting included CM’s special secretary B. Ajith Reddy, senior education officials Yogita Rana, A. Sridevasena, M. Haritha, E.V. Narasimha Reddy, and S. Krishnaditya. Representatives from TRSMA, HSPA, ISMA, the Muslim Minority Association, and the Christian Minority Association took part in the meeting.
School fees
Congress government reconstituted a Cabinet sub-committee on education reforms, headed by minister D. Sridhar Babu in July 2024.
Panel to address the issue of private school fee regulation.
Government established Telangana Education Commission in September 2024, tasked with exploring options for regulating school fees and making recommendations to the government.
The commission made several significant proposals, including categorising private schools into five distinct categories, namely, international, corporate, private, private budget, and rural schools.
TEC recommends was the establishment of a Telangana Private Unaided Schools Fee Regulatory Commission headed by retired judge of High Court or Supreme Court.
Fee commission should include senior academics, professors, chartered accountants, and school management representatives.
Education department to inform parents in advance about the assessment system for Class 10 — whether grading, marks, or a combination of both — starting from the next academic year.
Institutions misleading parents through deceptive advertising will face disciplinary action.
Plan in motion to introduce a common detention policy across state-run universities and standardise examination fees.
