Hyderabad: Private schools have once again sharply increased fees for the 2026–27 academic year. Many parents allege that school managements are taking advantage of the state govt’s delay in implementing a fee regulation act, with hikes reportedly reaching up to 50%.Parents say that in the absence of a proper regulatory mechanism to monitor annual increases, school education is becoming increasingly unaffordable for middle- and lower-income families.“From ₹76,000 per annum, my son’s fee has now crossed ₹1 lakh. The school has given no explanation for the nearly 30% hike,” said Vineetha Reddy, whose child studies at a private school in Uppal.Another parent, Wajahath Ahmed, whose children attend a school in Shaikpet, said fees for all his children have increased by about 40%. “I have four children, and their fees have gone up drastically. The management claims this is not illegal since there is no fee regulation act in the state,” he said.Members of the Hyderabad School Parents’ Association (HSPA), who have been advocating for fee regulation, expressed disappointment over what they see as the govt’s lack of urgency.“They are just wasting time by creating one committee after another. It looks govt just want to waste time but not regulate fees despite knowing that parents are struggling to get their children educated. Even this year, we received complaints from several parents saying fees are hiked by more than 50%,” said Venkat Sainath K from HSPA. He added that the average fee hike across schools is around 30%.According to the association, many schools in Hyderabad now charge around ₹1 lakh annually, while institutions offering better facilities demand close to ₹2 lakh.Officials from the Telangana Education Commission (TEC) said they have already submitted a report to the govt and are awaiting action on a fee regulation framework.“This year the problem seems to be more severe. We got several representations from parents complaining about fee hike ranging between 30% and 50%. Managements are hiking fees without any rationality, without improving any resources or infrastructure. We are pushing the state to bring out an act at the earliest to address this issue,” said PL Visweshwar Rao, member, TEC.
