HYDERABAD: With no regulatory framework in place, several private schools have reportedly raised annual fees by about 50% for the upcoming year.
Parents are vexed over the fact that the draft Bill to set up the Telangana Private Schools Fee Regulation and Monitoring Commission remains pending, even as the admissions for the 2026–27 academic year have begun.
Since the last week of November, admissions for pre-primary (LKG–UKG) and primary classes (1–5) have opened.
Parents said that fees have risen sharply across the board — from small-budget schools with limited infrastructure to international schools. For instance, schools that charged Rs 80,000 for Class 1 last year now quote between Rs 1.1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh.
Insistence on full payment
Some parents also alleged that schools are insisting on full payment before confirming admission. Suresh, a parent from Secunderabad, said: “When I went to a private school for my daughter’s Class 1 admission, the authorities said we had to pay the entire amount upfront to book a slot. Only then would the admission be confirmed.”
Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA) secretary K Venkat Sainath criticised the delay in establishing a regulatory mechanism. He told TNIE that despite repeated representations, court petitions and meetings with the Telangana Education Commission, fee hikes have continued unchecked.
‘Draft bill still in discussion’
“The Commission told us the draft Bill was under discussion and would be placed in the next Assembly session. The session has ended, but the Bill has still not been passed,” Sainath said.
Telangana Education Commission member Prof Vishweshwar Rao said the panel had received numerous complaints about fee hikes for the upcoming year.
“We have already submitted the draft Bill to the state government. It is being examined by the Cabinet subcommittee. We have again urged the government to pass it at the earliest so that fees can be regulated in private schools,” he said.