Following the Karnataka High Court ruling that the government cannot regulate fees in private schools, several private schools in Bengaluru have reportedly increased their fees by 30%-40%.
The Karnataka High Court ruled on January 5, declaring several provisions in the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, unconstitutional and allowing private schools to set their fee structure. Despite school associations recommending a 10%-15% limit on fee hikes, many schools have disregarded the suggestion.
According to the Times of India, parents are now expressing concern about the indiscriminate fee hike, with some having to pay nearly Rs 50,000 more than the previous year. One parent complained that the tuition fee for their child's school year had increased from Rs 1.18 lakh to Rs 1.6 lakh, with additional fees for books, exams, and annual expenses. Even parents of students attending lower-priced schools have reported significant fee increases, with one parent stating that their child's school fees had gone up from Rs 60,000 to Rs 98,000 in just three instalments.
The rise in fees has prompted parents' associations to speak out against the schools' misinterpretation of the recent court orders, which permit schools to fix their fee structure but only under the conditions of no profiteering, no capitation fee, and a reasonable fee structure. The Department of Primary Education has admitted that it has no authority to regulate school fees and is planning to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court to fight for regulation.