Wait for school fee panel continues

And their wait for a fee regulation will get longer as the Congress government is yet to clear the fee regulation committee, which has been assured by the party in its manifesto for the State Assembly elections.

Hyderabad: As the countdown for schools to reopen is fast ticking, there is hardly any relief for parents from the exorbitant fee hike by private school managements in the State.

And their wait for a fee regulation will get longer as the Congress government is yet to clear the fee regulation committee, which has been assured by the party in its manifesto for the State Assembly elections.

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With demands for fee regulation getting louder, the Education Department recently proposed a school fee regulatory committee and the department is expecting a nod from the State government.

On getting an approval from the Chief Minister’s Office, the proposal will be referred to a Cabinet subcommittee to be headed by IT Minister D Sridhar Babu. Based on the recommendations of the sub-committee, a Bill is expected to be drafted and introduced in the next State Assembly session.

Even if the Congress government comes up with a School Fee Regulatory Act it could be only implemented from the next academic year i.e., 2025-26 since majority private schools have already hiked fees between 20-30 per cent for this year besides completing the admission process for the forthcoming next academic year.

The school fee regulatory committee is expected to be on the lines of the Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee, which is fixing the fee structure for private colleges offering professional programmes including engineering, medicine, and pharmacy once for every three-year block period.

The professional colleges’ fee is revised on the basis of the income, and expenditure receipts, audited balance sheets, requirements for developmental needs, among other details.