Parent Teacher Associations in schools just on paper, parents left voiceless

Hyderabad: Despite laws mandating Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) in schools, many institutions in the city and across the state either lack functional bodies or maintain them only for compliance, leaving parents without a formal grievance platform. Parents allege meetings are rarely conducted, and communication about PTAs is almost nonexistent."My child has studied in the same school since kindergarten and is now in Class 10. Not once has the PTA called for a meeting. In fact, I doubt there is one because no information is ever shared. When we question the management, they ask us to take a transfer certificate (TC) and leave if we have a problem," said Beemidi Pavan Reddy, whose child studies in a leading CBSE school.Another parent, Sree Lakshmi, said schools avoid collective dialogue. "Managements follow a divide-and-rule approach. Even when parents unite over a common issue like fee hikes, they refuse to engage and insist we come individually," she said.Teachers claim PTAs are often formed only on paper to satisfy regulatory requirements. "Members are usually people close to management — relatives, friends, or spouses of staff. These dummy bodies surface during inspections, fee revisions, or recognition renewals," said Bayya Shivaraj, vice-president of the Telangana Private Teachers Forum, adding that many parents and teachers are unaware PTAs are mandatory.Members of the Hyderabad School Parents' Association (HSPA) echoed similar concerns. "When we ask about PTAs, schools either say members are unavailable or avoid confirming their existence. Meetings are not held despite major issues like steep fee hikes, forced purchases of books and uniforms, and withholding of TCs," said HSPA organising secretary K Venkat Sainath.Even some management representatives acknowledge the gap. "With constant parent queries and coordination challenges, many schools simply show PTAs on paper," admitted Shekhar Rao Y from the Telangana Recognised School Managements Association.Officials from the Telangana Education Commission say they have limited powers. "We recommended making PTAs mandatory with defined authority to address issues, including teacher quality, but no action has been taken so far," said chairman Akunuri Murali. "Schools continue without functional PTAs, and there is little we can do."