Run private schools to increase knowledge, not profits

To, 
Ramesh Pokhriyal
Minister of Human Resource Development,
Government of India

12 crore people have lost their jobs— Private schools add to the burden by hiking fees

This is the largest humanitarian crisis in India in decades where 12 crore people have lost their jobs. 

For people worried about job losses and pay cuts, private schools have made things worse. Despite government regulations, private schools across India have hiked fees for the next academic year. There are stories of schools barring students from attending online classes and cutting their names off the rolls for non-payment of fees, which is in violation of government regulations. In response to these violations, parents have approached the Supreme Court to put in place a moratorium on school fees. 

It is estimated that private schools in Delhi owe parents over Rs. 350 crores, in lieu of fees unduly collected. Overcharging and profiteering by private schools is a burden for parents. For a family with a single earning member, the average expenditure on private schooling (for two children), constitutes 20% of household income. There is an urgent need to regulate private schools and stop illegal practices of arbitrary fee hikes and profiteering. 

In a survey of over 38,000 parents, 83% said that state governments have failed to regulate fees of private schools. In a post-COVID-19 India, as millions of people suffer from job losses, enforcement of private school regulation becomes even more urgent. 

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