Hyderabad: Budget schools have no staying power

Rajendranagar: While welcoming the government proposal for reopening schools in the State, budget schools sought relaxation in electricity/water bills and property tax. With the latest announcement coming from Minister T Harish Rao, the news is well received by private schools, which are facing severe financial crisis due to the outbreak of pandemic. The Telangana Private Schools Forum (TPSF) has urged the government to at least to bail out private institutions which face financial crises ever since the pandemic broke out.

"We welcome the decision of the government regarding re-opening of schools in the State and are optimistic that the same will be enforced with immediate effect, as budget schools are already entangled in financial crises due to pandemic," said Yadgiri Shekhar Rao, president, Telangana Recognised Schools Management Association (TRSMA).

In an appeal to parents, he said, "parents too should come forward and pressure the government to ensure re-opening of schools as soon as possible, as damage has already been done to the education sector, both academic institutions as well as academic year of students." Speaking in a similar tone, other unions too welcomed the government's decision, but have sought a few relaxations that, according to them, are necessary to put their academic institutions in order.

In his letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the TPSF president Akther Shareef contended that "since the tuition fee collected from students is not at all sufficient to pay salaries to the staff, the contingency expenditure somewhat met the quantum of fee being collected other than the regular fee.

Building rent, maintenance, electricity/water charges, property/profession taxes are some of the compulsive expenditure met through fees collected from students under the non-tuition fee category." There are 10,984 recognised budget schools in Telangana where around 33 lakh students are enrolled. Only five districts, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal, Vikarabad and Sangareddy, have 4,500 budget schools, where 16 lakh students are pursuing studies.