HYDERABAD: Former Telangana Education Commission (TEC) chairman and Telangana People’s Front (TPF) core committee member Akunuri Murali has called for immediate regulation of private school and junior college fees and urgent measures to strengthen government schools in the state.
He was speaking at a roundtable conference on “Regulation of Private School Fees and Strengthening of Government Schools” organised by the TPF on Friday.
At the conference, TPF core members and participants sought scientific and transparent categorisation of fees based on infrastructure, land, faculty and facilities rather than market pressures. They also demanded a grievance redressal mechanism allowing parents to challenge unjustified fee hikes without fear of their children being penalised.
Highlighting the condition of government schools, participants cited UDISE+ data to point out that 82 per cent of primary schools had multi-grade teaching in 2025-26. Telangana also had 2,582 single-room and 5,697 two-room schools, while 2,245 government schools had zero enrolment.
The meeting noted that 12.7 per cent of government schools had fewer than 10 students, against the national average of 5.1 per cent. Around 5,001 single-teacher schools were also functioning in 2024-25.
Murali said families were increasingly being forced to choose between steep private school fees and a weakened public education system. He said education should not be treated as a commercial activity and stressed the need for a transparent fee regulatory mechanism.
The meeting demanded immediate approval and implementation of a Telangana Private Unaided School Fee Regulatory and Monitoring Commission.
Representatives of the Hyderabad Schools Parents Association (HSPA), Mother Association and several NGOs said nearly 5.9 lakh students had shifted out of government schools in 2024-25, while private schools gained around 5.8 lakh students. They demanded that the state enact a private school fee regulation law during the ongoing Assembly session, ring-fence funds for government school infrastructure and publish an annual district-wise report on enrolment, staffing and learning outcomes.
Participants said regulation of private school fees alone would not address the problem unless government schools were simultaneously strengthened.
Referring to the TEC’s recommendations, Murali reiterated the need for substantially higher public investment in education and stronger accountability in the school education system.