
BENGALURU: With private school fees in Bengaluru going as high as Rs 2 lakh for third standard, parents argue that schools are profiteering and commercialising education by arbitrarily increasing fees by 30% to 40%, far exceeding the standard 8% to 15% hike justified under guidelines.
Recently, the Voice of Parents Association shared a detailed fee breakdown in a post on social media, which included Rs 1.9 lakh for tuition, Rs 9,000 for annual maintenance fees, and Rs 11,449 labelled as “imprest.”
Parents are demanding government intervention through a fee determination committee to address the issue. They also allege that existing laws meant to regulate fees are riddled with loopholes, often created in collusion with private schools. Schools, unwilling to be regulated, either challenge these measures or bypass them through corruption.
To add to the burden, many schools have also stopped offering installment payment options, forcing parents to pay fees upfront and increasing their financial strain.
The Voice of Parents association demanded that schools must, at the very least, provide parents with the option to pay fees in monthly, quarterly, or half-yearly instalments. They further insisted that schools display a clear breakdown of their fee structure on the notice board and submit it to the education department. The fees approved by the department should be the only ones collected from parents, and any charges beyond that are illegal.
The association demanded that the government must form a fee determination committee to assess whether schools are commercializing education or profiteering from fees. They emphasized that while schools set their own fees, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that these fees are reasonable and do not exploit parents.
Speaking to TNIE, parents lament that a moderate fee increase is understandable, but the current hike leaves them with no alternatives. They are calling on the government to step in and cap the fees. However, private school associations justify the increases, claiming they are essential to cover growing operational expenses.
Parents told TNIE that many schools are not offering installments options for fee payments, causing concern among parents. They fear the increased fees will make quality education unaffordable.
“A marginal hike in fees is understandable, but this drastic increase puts us in a quandary. We can’t change schools because we would need to pay admission fees and other costs again, yet staying means paying significantly higher fees,” said Mahesh R, one of the parent.
CBSE and ICSE-affiliated schools explain the fee hikes by citing increased management costs, teacher salaries, and other expenses. Meanwhile, state syllabus schools claim that the decline in student numbers has made fee increases necessary.
One of the department officials attributed the fee hike to an oversupply of schools and the presence of many unauthorized institutions. With student enrolment declining, per capita costs have increased, leading to fee hikes of 10% to 15%, the official said.