Private schools in Karnataka propose 15% fee hike for 2025-26 session, citing West Asia conflict and inflation

Besides the West Asia conflict, the private schools also cited a rise in electricity charges, as well as contributions to professional tax and provident fund.

Teachers salary demand

Lokesh Talikatte, president of the Karnataka Recognised Unaided Private Schools Association (KRUPA), said petrol and diesel prices are likely to increase due to the conflict, and that the prices of goods may rise, leading to inflation.

“The teachers have demanded a 20 per cent hike in their salaries, and the burden cannot be shifted to parents. As per the government norms, many of the schools have decided to increase the school fees up to 15 per cent,” Talikatte said.

He pointed out that they had to increase school fees by 10 per cent last year due to rising prices.

D Shashi Kumar, secretary of the Association of Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka, also said that several factors have forced them to consider raising fees.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Kumar said, “Every year, the government gives permission for at least 700-800 schools across Karnataka, and there are a lot of unauthorised schools, especially nurseries, operating in the state. Admissions demand for the schools is gradually declining, but the same amount of money is still required to run them. We are left with no choice but to pass the burden on to parents.”

He said power, water, and sanitation bills have substantially increased. “The government levies taxes like the cess tax and Goods and Services Tax (GST). Where should we bring the money from? In Bengaluru, only big players can run a school, and it is becoming hard for small-scale investors to run them.”

‘On what ground?’

B N Yogananda, the president of the Karnataka Private Schools Parents’ Associations’ Coordination Committee, said this was the “usual drama” of private school owners ahead of the new academic year.

“On what grounds are they hiking the fees? Are school owners the only ones affected by inflation? Unfortunately, there is no regulatory fee committee in Karnataka, whereas more than 20 states have. The government is indirectly allowing them to siphon money from parents,” Yogananda said.

“Most of the school owners, especially the budget schools, do not want to increase their fees as the admissions are decreasing. Private schools cannot increase fees at their whims and fancies. First of all, the reason those private schools came into existence was the deliberate failure of government policies,” he said.

“If private schools want to increase fees, all the stakeholders must be consulted, and the burden should not be imposed on parents,” he added.