Private schools collect excess fees, allege parents

Hyderabad: As fee collection for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) public examinations 2022-23 has begun, private schools in the City are once again disobeying the orders, by not following the Education department's instructions and collecting an excess fee.

Originally, the SSC public examination fee is Rs 125, but private schools are charging almost 40 times that amount. Infuriated with the issue, several parents on Wednesday submitted a letter to the Education Department to initiate action against such schools.

Parents allege that in several private schools, an amount of Rs. 2000 or Rs. 5000 is being levied on the pretence of special notes and special classes. This, according to them, is not a new thing as private schools have already hiked school and transportation fees. They also allege that the subcommittee formed by the Education Department to monitor the private schools is not functioning as expected as the State government has not taken any proper steps.

"When the State government has announced that the examination fee is of Rs 125, then why are the private schools burdening us by charging almost 40 times that fee? After the Education Department released the dates to pay fees, I was forced to disburse Rs 5000 as board exam fees for my daughter, who is studying at a private school at Jubilee Hills, which is 40 times higher than the original amount and when I enquired the school officials as to why they are charging an excess, their only reply was that they are a private organisation. It is high time for the Education Department to act sternly against private schools," said Suresh Reddy, a parent.

Joint secretary of Hyderabad School Parents Association (HSPA)Venkat Sainath said, "We have submitted a letter, once again, to the concerned officials of the Education Department. We are fed up of complaining and asking them to take action, we wonder as to what is stopping them from initiating an action on such schools. The Education Department's Fee Regulation Committee /Sub-committee has a namesake existence, as no measures have been taken against the private schools that are looting the public."