Bengaluru: Several schools in Bengaluru have announced a 10% to 30% increase in school fees for the 2025-26 academic year, leaving parents fuming and questioning the rationale behind the annual fee hike exercise.
Many schools have started collecting first-term fees for the next academic year. While some have stuck to the 10%-15% annual revision, others have breached the psychological 15% barrier.
A parent said her son’s school fees have gone up from Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2.1 lakh in five years. This excludes transportation fees. “While the hike before Covid was about 10%, post-Covid hikes are in the 15%-30% region. Schools justify the hike, saying they could not increase fees during Covid years,” another parent said.
Association of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka has defended the hike as institutions have to revise teachers’ pay every year over fears that competitors may poach them and increase in associated teaching costs.
Association secretary D Shashi Kumar argued for an annual hike. “School is not just blackboard, chalk and desk. There are various heads of expenditure. Govt is increasing textbook prices. There is an increase in fabric prices. Why don’t you question them? Why do you talk only about school increasing fees? While I agree that 20% to 30% hike is unacceptable, 10% to 15% hike is necessary,” he said.
Parents, however, aren’t convinced. Prashanth Kumar, an HR professional from Horamavu, said in a social media post that has since gone viral: “Every year, private schools hike fees by 10%-40% — no explanation, no improvement, just a new demand. Parents, already struggling with job cuts, rising taxes and home loans, are drowning. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra regulate school fees. Karnataka tried, but legal battles stalled its progress. Schools continue unchecked, knowing parents have no choice.”
Mohammed Shakeel, president, Voice of Parents, said: “Why should schools increase fee every year by 10%-30% when inflation itself is not even 10%? The increase in tuition fees should be pegged to the rate of inflation.”
Ritu Srivastava, an IT professional from North Bengaluru, agreed: “The flat hike across all types of fees is bizarre. Take transport, for example. Is the fuel price increasing 15% annually? At this rate, by grade 10 we will be paying an astronomical sum. We would have already used up the money saved for higher studies at schooling itself.”
“The Karnataka high court’s verdicts in Dec 2022 and Jan 2023 led to significant challenges in the education sector,” said Sijo Sebastian, joint secretary of Voice of Parents. “Unfortunately, many schools have taken advantage of the situation to arbitrarily increase fees every year, without regulatory oversight. This is in stark contrast to engineering and medical institutions, which do not hike fees annually.”
“Further, several schools are violating Right to Education rules and recognition conditions, while the govt has failed to enforce these regulations. Despite losing cases in court, the govt has not presented provisions to regulate schools according to RTE rules and the Karnataka Capitation Fee Act,” Sebastian said.
Association of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka secretary D Shashi Kumar rejected comparisons between professional college and school fees, saying colleges receive huge donations which help them sustain without frequently tinkering with the fee matrix.
Ends. MSID:: 118357700 413 |