Outrage in Bengaluru: Private schools shock parents with 30% fee hike for academic year 2023-24

By Vinaykumar Patil | First Published May 20, 2024, 12:31 PM IST

In Bengaluru, private schools are raising tuition fees by 20 to 30 per cent for the 2024-25 academic year, impacting parents across various curriculums. Increases affect all school types, with fees ranging from ₹25,000 to over ₹1 lakh. Schools are also reducing payment flexibility and charging extra for transportation, adding to the financial burden on families.

Bengaluru parents are scuffling with financial strain as private schools across the city have announced a significant tuition fee hike of 20 to 30 per cent for the 2024-25 academic year. This steep increase in fees has become a yearly challenge, placing a substantial burden on families striving to manage their household budgets.

Parents have noted that this fee hike is not restricted to any one type of curriculum but is being implemented across various boards including CBSE, ICSE, and state boards. Traditionally, schools have offered the flexibility to pay fees in up to four instalments, with exceptions allowing even more. However, the current trend shows a shift, with most schools now requiring fees to be paid in no more than two instalments.

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An extensive survey of schools in areas like Rajajinagar, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Goraguntepalya, and Bagalagunte confirms these changes, with increases ranging from ₹25,000 to ₹35,000 in what are termed budget schools. More established institutions have pushed their fees from ₹50,000 to as much as ₹65,000. The most prestigious schools in the city have escalated fees from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.2 lakh, encompassing tuition, sports, extracurricular activities, and costs for textbooks and uniforms.

In addition to these hikes, schools are imposing a separate charge of ₹10,000 to ₹20,000 for transportation, impacting those who do not live in proximity to the school.

The demand to pay the entire fee in one or two instalments has placed further pressure on parents, who report that school management is using coercive tactics such as threatening to issue transfer certificates to students whose parents question the new fee structures.

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Despite the outcry, the governing bodies of these schools have not provided a satisfactory justification for such drastic increases, which far exceed the usual annual adjustment for inflation typically between 10 to 15 per cent. While some school administrators claim that the hikes are necessary to maintain the quality of education and facilities, the majority of parents remain unconvinced and burdened by these demands.

Nevertheless, amidst these overwhelming fee increases, some schools are making an effort to consider the economic diversity of their student body, focusing on service over profit and aiming to aid financially disadvantaged families.

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