Secunderabad: School fees burning every parent’s pocket

SECUNDERABAD: The steep rise in school fees has always been a nightmare for parents. So, it’s no surprise that 87% of parents in Secunderabad are cut up with the authorities, as they feel the pinch of coughing up a lot towards high tuition fees. This was revealed in a recent survey conducted by TOI in association with Varenia CIMS.

If international schools in Secunderabad hike their fees by 15% to 20% annually, private schools have kept it between 10% and 15%. For harried parents, the cost of school education is not less than Rs 2 lakh per annum. Talking to TOI, a parent who did not wish to be named, said: “My daughter’s school fee in kindergarten in 2012 was Rs 33,000 per annum. Now, she is in class V. We pay Rs 92,000 per annum. When my son was in nursery in 2015, we paid Rs 65,000 per annum. Now, he is in class II and we are paying Rs 90,000 per annum.”

Even shifting schools isn’t a solution for most parents as the lumpsum admission fee burns a hole in their pockets. Parents are also faced with another issue — lack of uniform fee structure for students in the same class.

Seema Agarwal, vice president of Hyderabad School Parents Association (HSPA), criticised the managements of private schools for not having a uniform fee policy. “As parents, we have tried and asked schools to form committees to discuss any hike before it is implemented. But, our efforts have been in vain,” Agarwal said.

While the TOI survey says 98% of the parents want their children to be taught in English, they are, however, not at all happy with the quality of education. “Due to the deteriorating educational standards, we are forced to shell out on private coaching classes for our wards,” said a concerned parent.

K Venkat Sainath, joint secretary, HSPA, pointed out that there is a dearth of good, qualitative teaching. “Most of the teachers are underqualified or are not equipped to impart training ,” he reasoned.

He also blames parents for the mess. “They do not care about quality of education, but are more concerned with the brand of institution their child is associated with.”