Hyderabad: Parents of students at Hyderabad Public School Ramanthapur staged a protest on campus on Friday, alleging a steep and unjustified fee hike. The protest began around 7 am at the main gate and moved towards the principal’s office, with parents raising concerns over “miscalculations” in the revised fee structure.According to the protesting parents, discussions with the school management have been ongoing for over a year. “We were told there would be a 10% increase over three years, which we agreed to. But the current hike is far beyond that. Fees have increased from around 93,000 to 2.01 lakh, up nearly 120% over the past four years. It’s becoming unaffordable for many families,” said one of the protesting parents.Parents also highlighted that students transitioning from primary to middle school last year already faced a fee jump of nearly 35%, followed by another increase this year. “There is an absence of a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) for seven years. Any revision should happen after consulting with parents. There is no clarity on the formation of PTA also. It is necessary to discuss such issues,” another parent said.Commenting on the issue, Venkat Sainath, president of the Hyderabad School Parents Association, said, “Such steep and frequent fee hikes are unjustified and place an undue burden on parents. Any revision must be transparent, gradual and done in consultation with parents.”Responding to the allegations, board member Gusti Noria said the fee revision was necessary to keep pace with inflation and maintain quality. “The fees include food of high quality and support modern infrastructure, pedagogy, academics and activities. We are not a profit-driven institution,” he said, while denying any agreement on limiting hikes to 10% over three years.
