Private schools continue to make fast buck in Warangal

Warangal: Notwithstanding the fact that it's illegal to run educational institutions as business organisations with exception to trusts that can run on a non-profit basis, the entrepreneurs have their way out how to turn their institutions into profit centres. Thanks to the high demand for education and parents' desperation to make their wards go places that is allowing the private institutions flourish unabatedly.

Belying the government's norms and guidelines, the private educational institutions continue to make hay fleecing parents.

The commencement of a new academic year brings cheer to students but not to their parents as their household budget goes for a toss as they need finances to bear exorbitant school fee, books, uniforms and transportation. It's a phenomenon that revisits every year with an increased burden.

The parents have to contend with a fee hike at least by 20 per cent. For new admissions, the parents have to cough up even more depending on class. On the surface, the managements claim that they were not charging any donations or special fee from students, and were strictly abiding the law, but they have ingenious ways of collecting huge amounts from parents. They collect money under various heads. The development fee, library fee, building fee, tuition fee etc — all euphemism for donations.

Even though it's forbidden, the private school managements continue to sell notebooks, uniforms, shoes, textbooks and other stationeries on the school premises. Some school managements suggesting the parents to purchase these items only from a particular shop for obvious reasons.

"I had paid nearly Rs 4,000 only for books for my son, who got admission in Class I in a private school," Kumar G, a private employee, of Kazipet said. It's said that in all, an admission is costing parents anywhere from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh based on school reputation and facilities.

Recently, the ABVP workers exposed a private school near Hunter Road that resorted to selling of books, bags, shoes and other material to the students.

Speaking to The Hans India, ABVP State secretary Ambala Kiran said: "With the education officials turning a blind eye, the commercial activity in private schools is unabated. There are instances that some officials leaked information about raids on schools to their managements, beforehand. Some officials fear wrath of politicos as they are connected to school managements someway or other way."

Warangal Urban district education officer K Narayana Reddy said that stringent action would be taken against those school managements which infringe the guidelines of the government. He appealed to people to lodge complaints if any school management bulldozes norms and fleece exorbitant fee from students.