Though a cabinet subcommittee was formed to prevent private educational institutions from arbitrary collection of school fees in Telangana, seems like no decision has been taken even though enrollment for the next academic year has commenced.
Not only are the managements collecting the fees, but they have also been forcing students to purchase textbooks and uniforms from them.
The state cabinet had formed a cabinet subcommittee to draft a new law that will help curb the fees in private educational institutions and was directed to submit their suggestions to the cabinet before it commences. But since it failed to do so, private managements have started collecting high fees.
All this is despite the Telangana High Court ordering the Government of Telangana to design a mechanism to regulate fees. In the past, it is the parents' associations of the state who had taken the matter to the High Court via petitions.
K Venkat Sainath, Joint Secretary, Hyderabad School Parents Association (HSPA), shared, "The government is unable to control the private management as it is being controlled by them. The government has formed a cabinet sub-committee on the direction of the state High Court to show that it is working on it but in reality, it's given free hand to the managements to collect huge fees. The government is killing the public education system in the state."
This problem persists not just in the state capital Hyderabad, but in rural areas as well. Hefty fees and 'donations' are an issue everywhere. Mohammed Maruf of Zahirabad paid Rs 53,000 to enroll his son in Class IV in a private school. "I was asked to pay Rs 53,000 in three terms for my son who enrolled in Class IV, they asked me to buy the books and uniform from schools particularly. I have to spend about Rs 15,000 on that separately," he said.
