A recent post on social media by a parent shed light on the worrisome spike in school fees, revealing that a school had imposed an extra 61 percent in costs for a four-year-old child passing from nursery to LKG. Talking to TOI exclusively, the parent revealed that the increase occurred at a well-known school in Telangana’s Bachupally, where fees rose from Rs 2.3 lakh in 2023 to Rs 3.7 lakh in the 2024 academic year, as the child was scheduled to start LKG in April.
This means the fee has gone up by Rs 1.4 lakh, or around 61%.
According to the parents, the school administration defended the hike by noting the transition to an IB curriculum, which they claimed was non-negotiable.
“When we enrolled our son, we expected the pricing structure to be reasonably consistent until he entered grade one. However, the transition from Nursery to LKG pushed him into a new charge band that was about 70% more,” claimed the child’s parent, who requested anonymity.
₹3.7 Lakhs school fee for Lower Kindergarten in #Hyderabad!
— Sudhakar Udumula (@sudhakarudumula) February 15, 2024
Parents left stunned by the school fee hike.
A prominent school in #Bachupally has allegedly increased LKG fees by 65%.
In 2023, it was ₹2.3 lakh per academic year, for 2024 it was increased to ₹3.7 lakh citing… pic.twitter.com/e5AQRyyTfT
Ironically, the parents noted that their eldest son, who is currently in class 4 at the same school, pays 3.2 lakh, which is just 50,000 less than the new cost for the younger child in LKG. “Financially, this will be quite burdensome for us. We are now contemplating changing his school, which presents another challenge of finding admission on short notice,” they added.
The social media post caused significant worry among other parents, many of whom expressed similar fears. While the average annual fee increase for most schools this academic year has increased approximately 10%-12%, with exceptional rates reaching lakhs, the entire expense of education has risen once again.
“Parents are reluctant to spend lakhs on pre-primary education, but due to the scarcity of admissions in classes 1 and above, particularly in IB and Cambridge schools, they are compelled to enroll their children from LKG onwards, resulting in exorbitant fees,” another parent was quoted as saying by TOI.
Despite the availability of more affordable options in CBSE schools, parents claim that the fees levied are frequently excessive. However, educational authorities, even the schools in the city justify the fee hikes as necessary.
“Most schools have increased fees by 8%-10% this year. This adjustment is warranted due to the rising market rates for teacher salaries. We must offer competitive salaries to retain experienced staff, especially with the proliferation of schools, to prevent a talent drain. Human resources constitute the largest portion of the fee hike,” Sunir Nagi, treasurer of Hyderabad Sahodaya Schools Complex (HSSC), an association of CBSE schools in the city said in a conversation with TOI.
