Revanth Reddy Holding Education Portfolio Is “Unfortunate”, Says K. Kavitha Amid Fee Hike Concerns
Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) chief Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Tuesday strongly criticised the state government over the steep increase in school fees and demanded the immediate introduction of a fee regulation law to provide relief to parents.
Hyderabad: Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) chief Kalvakuntla Kavitha on Tuesday strongly criticised the state government over the steep increase in school fees and demanded the immediate introduction of a fee regulation law to provide relief to parents.
Addressing a round-table conference on “Quality Education and Fee Control” at Somajiguda Press Club in Hyderabad, Kavitha said education is the foundation for equality, freedom and human values. She questioned whether children’s education should remain solely the responsibility of parents or whether governments also have a duty towards it.
She stated that education and healthcare are the basic responsibilities of any government and asserted that only people-centric governments can ensure free education and medical treatment.
Kavitha alleged that school fees in Telangana have increased between 50 and 120 per cent, while the government has remained indifferent. She said parents are facing immense financial pressure and fear over the burden of paying fees.
Demanding urgent intervention, she called on the government to introduce a fee control law within May itself and issue immediate orders ensuring that schools do not increase fees even by a single rupee compared to the previous academic year.
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Highlighting the growing dominance of private educational institutions, Kavitha said that out of the state’s 64 lakh students, nearly 65 to 75 per cent study in private institutions. She alleged that education has turned into a business model and accused corporate schools of exploiting parents’ compulsions for profit.
Referring to Hyderabad Public School, she claimed that despite being built on government land, the institution had increased fees by nearly 120 per cent this year. She questioned what the situation would be in other private institutions if such hikes were possible in a school operating on public land.
Kavitha also accused the government of encouraging private educational institutions and failing to regulate fee structures effectively.
She further said that fee reimbursement dues amounting to nearly Rs 11,000 crore are pending, pushing several colleges to the verge of closure. Criticising Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for holding the Education portfolio, she termed it “an unfortunate sign” for the state’s education system.
The TRS leader alleged that the government was attempting to weaken the fee reimbursement scheme through the MS-7 Government Order and warned that all political parties may unite for protests if the GO is not withdrawn.
Reiterating her party’s stand, Kavitha said free education and free healthcare remain the core policies of the TRS and promised that the party would continue to fight for their implementation.
She also suggested that Telangana adopt a Tamil Nadu-style permanent fee regulation authority or implement a Gujarat-style fee cap model by fixing annual fees at Rs 15,000 for primary education and Rs 25,000 for higher education to protect parents from excessive financial burden.
