'65% fee hike for LKG': Telangana plans panel to regulate increase in school fees

Hyderabad: The Telangana State government has announced plans to establish a school fee regulatory committee to systematically regulate school fees and ensure accessible quality education.

The initiative aims to alleviate the financial burden on parents facing escalating education costs in private schools, with some institutions increasing fees by 10 per cent to 30 per cent each academic year.

Parents take to social media to show anger

The decision to form a panel to regulate fee structure was a response to the widespread trend of the alarming rise in school fees across Telugu states. Many parents have come out in the open recently, especially on social media, to express their dissent on how private schools are fleecing them in the absence of strict regulations.

A recent social media post by a parent revealed that a prominent school in Bachupally had imposed a staggering 65 per cent fee hike for a four-year-old child transitioning from nursery to LKG. The parent’s disclosure highlighted that fees had surged from 2.3 lakhs in 2023 to 3.7 lakhs for the 2023-24 academic year, as the child was set to join LKG in April.

Implementation timeline

The new regulatory measures will not come into force until the next academic year in 2025-26, as admissions for the current year have already concluded. Schools are set to commence their new academic session on June 12.

“We will bring an act to regulate the fees in private schools. The new regulations may not be implemented this year but will be enforced from the next academic session 2025-26,” stated Burra Venkatesham, principal secretary to the State Government (Education Department) in a statement.

Modelled after TAFRC

This initiative is modelled after the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) for professional courses, which has been responsible for setting fee structures for private colleges.

The TAFRC, headed by a retired judge, reviews colleges’ income and expenditure receipts, audited balance sheets, and other financial documents every three years to determine appropriate fee structures.

Committee responsibilities

The proposed school fee regulatory committee will similarly scrutinise private schools’ finances, expenditures, and facilities provided to students before determining fee structures. This approach is expected to introduce a fair and transparent system for fee regulation in private schools across Telangana.

Parental relief

The establishment of this committee is expected to provide significant relief to parents struggling with the rising cost of education.

“Every year, we see a substantial increase in school fees, which puts a lot of pressure on our family budget. We hope this initiative will bring some much-needed stability and fairness to the fee structure,” said Mahita Sharma, a parent from Hyderabad.

“The Telangana State government’s move to establish a school fee regulatory committee reflects a significant step towards addressing the financial challenges faced by parents and ensuring that quality education remains accessible to all. This is a relief to all parents who want their children to have a quality education that won’t be a financial burden,” said Deepak Shastry another parent.

Previous fee-setting mechanism

Previously, private schools in Telangana were allowed to set their fee structures through a governing body, which included the school president, principal, a representative of the teaching staff, the president of the parents-teachers association, and a mother nominated by the District Education Officer (DEO).

This body considered various expenditures, such as staff salaries, building rent, maintenance costs, classroom needs, and contributions towards educational CESS, to determine the annual fee.

Legislative support

The government is working on legislation to support this effort. However, the new regulations will be implemented from the 2025-26 academic session due to the current year’s admissions already being completed. This upcoming act is anticipated to ensure a more equitable fee structure, addressing the concerns of parents and promoting transparency in the education sector.