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In the national capital, hundreds of parents have been staging protests over the last month on the issue
The survey received over 18,000 responses from parents of school-going children located in 301 districts of India. (Representational image)
The start of the new academic session has brought bad news for thousands of parents in many cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, as many schools have revised their fee structures, resulting in an annual hike of anywhere between 10% and 50%.
In the national capital, hundreds of parents have been staging protests over the last month. So far, even intervention by the Directorate of Education (DoE) has not proved a deterrent for many schools, many of which tend to increase the fees under various heads. Last year in April, the Delhi High Court in an interim order allowed schools to hike fees after submitting only a fee statement under Section 17(3) of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSEAR), 1973, thereby limiting the DoE’s role in checking for profiteering or capitation fees.
A repeat scenario can be seen in many other major cities where the much-in-demand private school education is getting out of reach for many parents, leading to some having to take loans to cope with the additional expenses. Responding to the citizens’ demands, the Department of School Education in Karnataka has issued a circular mandating that all schools must issue clear admission notifications displaying details of the reservation policies and fee structures. The schools have been asked to put in place a complaint redressal system, while field education officers have been asked to provide prompt review and resolution of complaints.
A recent nationwide study by community social media platform LocalCircles revealed that 44% of parents surveyed say schools have increased fees by 50-80% or more over the last 3 years. For parents of children in high school who feel the need for private tuition in preparation for competitive exams, the combined fees are a backbreaker. In a follow-up survey, LocalCircles strived to find out how much the increase in fees by private schools has been for the current academic year 2025-26. The survey received over 18,000 responses from parents of school-going children located in 301 districts of India. 61% of respondents were men, while 39% were women. 45% of respondents were from tier 1, 28% from tier 2, and 27% of respondents were from tier 3 and 4 districts.
The increase in fees varies from school to school and depends also on the class and curriculum (CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, IB, etc.) the student is studying. The survey asked parents of school-going children, “How much has the school your children/grandchildren go to increase the total fee in percentage terms for FY 2025-26 as compared to 2024-25?” Out of 18,902 respondents to the question, 22% stated the hike is “over 30%”, 28% stated the hike is “20-30%”, 31% indicated the hike is “10-20%”, 3% indicated” 5-10%”, 3% indicated the “fee increase has not been announced yet”, 5% stated that there has been “no change in fee during this period”, and 8% of respondents did not give a clear answer. To sum up, 81% of parents surveyed who have children going to private schools report increased fees by over 10%.
The data shows that in 50% of parents’ cases, the jump in school fees has been over 20%. For parents already grappling with a multitude of pressures on their income besides the school and after-school education of their children, the situation is bound to be worrisome.
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