Does the Telangana State government aim to establish committees to classify and regulate private school fees? Will such a bureaucratic, hierarchical model be effective in addressing longstanding concerns, especially given varying court rulings on private school fee regulations? These pressing questions arose following the recent Telangana Education Commission (TGEC) meetings with private school management representatives.
The Telangana Recognised School Managements Association (TRSMA) reported that TGEC Chairman Akunuri Murali and commission members held discussions on Tuesday with TRSMA representatives at the Directorate of School Education. Attendees included TRSMA Chief Advisor Yadagiri Shekhar Rao, Working President S. Yadagiri, Ivy Ramana Rao, and Jayasimha Goud.
Exorbitant Fees and Need for Regulation
According to TRSMA, Telangana currently has 11,051 private schools. However, many private and corporate schools charge exorbitant fees, with fees for kindergarten classes often surpassing those for engineering courses. In response, the Telangana Education Commission is scrutinizing fee structures across private schools in the state.
The TRSMA members were informed about the proposed two-tier committee system to regulate fees:
- District Fee Regulation Committee (DFRC): Oversees fee regulation at the district level.
- State Fee Regulation Committee (SFRC): Serves as the apex body to implement and monitor fee regulations statewide.
TRSMA also urged the commission to classify private schools into four categories to simplify fee fixation.
Inspiration from TAFRC Model
An official from the Directorate of School Education compared the proposal to the existing Telangana Admissions and Fee Regulation Committee (TAFRC), which regulates fees for private unaided professional institutions such as engineering and management colleges. TAFRC categorizes institutions into A, B, and C tiers based on self-assessment reports.
However, this model has faced criticism. Parents and students argue that self-assessment reports are often manipulated to secure favorable categories, resulting in higher fees. Similar allegations have surfaced in other regulatory frameworks, such as the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), which warned institutions against falsifying data in self-assessment reports.
Challenges in Implementation
Despite assurances to the courts, the Telangana government has yet to introduce comprehensive legislation on private school fee regulation since the state’s formation. Critics argue that political connections to private educational institutions may have delayed progress.
Additionally, private school and college managements often maintain favorable relations with ruling and opposition parties by providing resources, such as buses, for political events. This has led to concerns about the effectiveness of government actions against violations of educational norms.
Parents’ Concerns
Parents remain skeptical about whether the TGEC’s proposed model will succeed where previous initiatives have failed. A foolproof mechanism for regulating private school fees remains elusive, leaving stakeholders questioning the feasibility of the proposed framework.
With private school fees often placing a heavy financial burden on families, the TGEC’s actions in the coming months will be closely watched by parents, educators, and policymakers alike.
 proposes district and state committees to regulate private school fees, addressing concerns over exorbitant charges.){kind=link}