Private Schools Looting With 40% Fee Hike: Kavitha

Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha today raised serious concerns over the steep increase in private school fees, accusing school managements of exploiting parents by imposing sudden hikes up to 40%.

Addressing the media at the Telangana Jagruthi office, she demanded that the government immediately introduce a fee regulation law and convene a special session of the Assembly to pass the legislation.

Kavitha claimed that nearly 38 lakh students were enrolled in around 12,000 private schools across the State. She criticised these institutions for "placing an excessive and unfair financial burden" on parents.

She asked how poor and middle-class families could cope with sudden fee hikes of up to 40%, especially when incomes were not rising proportionately. She suggested that annual fee increases should be limited to 7% to 8%.

The Jagruthi president also said that despite collecting substantial fees, many schools did not offer fair salary increments or adequate benefits to teachers and staff.

Kavitha said that Revanth Reddy had earlier criticised the previous government for failing to regulate school fees, and asked why, even after more than two years in power as Chief Minister, he had not made meaningful progress towards fee regulation.

She also described the State Education Commission's report as inadequate, and said that its only worthwhile recommendation was the need for a legal framework to regulate fees in private schools and junior colleges.

Kavitha warned the government that if it continued to tolerate fee exploitation, it may face consequences similar to those by the previous administration.

Kavitha also expressed concern over the lack of employment opportunities for local youth in corporate and non-local private schools. She alleged that these institutions were failing to provide jobs to people from Telangana.