The Hyderabad School Parents’ Association (HSPA) has filed a petition in the Telangana High Court seeking a regulatory mechanism for fee structure in private unaided schools in the state. While the Telangana government has issued orders directing private schools to not hike school fees in the coming academic year 2021-22 and to only collect tuition fees on a monthly basis, the petitioners complained that schools were arbitrarily including various other fees in the name of tuition fees, and thus continuing to charge exorbitant fees.
The PIL, filed by HSPA Joint Secretary K Venkat Sainath, sought the high court to direct the Principal Secretary (School Education) and School Education Director to set up a regulatory mechanism to prevent commercialisation of schools, The New Indian Express reported. The petition also mentioned steps taken in this direction by the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh, where the School Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission (APSERMC) has fixed the fee structure for private schools and junior colleges for the next three academic years.
The Telangana government had issued orders earlier in June, directing all private unaided recognised schools to not increase fees and to collect only tuition fees on a monthly basis for the academic year 2021-22 until further orders. The government has issued the order by exercising its powers conferred under Rule 21 of the Telangana Educational Institutions (Establishment, Recognition, Administration and Control of Schools under Private Management) Rules, 1993. However, the HSPA has alleged that schools are taking advantage of the fact that the government order does not specify what components can be included under tuition fees, and are therefore including transport, mess, library, computer and other fees under the same head, according to Deccan Chronicle. According to the Times of India, the HSPA also alleged that no stringent action was taken against schools where inquiries were conducted based on complaints over violations.
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