Hyderabad: Parties complain of 'massive' school fees;govt promises action

Hyderabad, Mar 22: BJP, TDP and MIM on Monday expressed concern over the massive fees and other undesirable practices in education sector in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, following which the TRS government promised concrete action on the matter.

Speaking during the Question Hour, BJP floor leader K Laxman said private schools have mushroomed in Hyderabad and the fees being charged by them have become a burden on the parents.

"The fees structure, in the range of Rs one lakh to Rs four lakh in some high-profile schools, is heavy for middle class families," he said.

TDP member S Venkata Veeraiah said many private schools do not even have a playground and other important facilities. The schools have assumed fancy names like "concept school", "international school", and "IIT Olympiad", he said.

Agreeing with the concerns of the members, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari said the government conducted inspections and also obtained replies from several schools. "The replies are being analyased," he said.

Recalling that Government Orders were issued earlier on the issue, he said some schools have approached courts against the government measures. TDP member R Krishnaiah said exorbitant fees collected by the private schools is among the reasons for farmers' suicides in rural areas.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who spoke on the issue, said the House should have a separate and thorough debate on various aspects of education in view of its importance. The Right to Education Act brought by the previous UPA government had certain flaws, he said, adding that several state governments expressed concerns on the issue.

PTI