Ahmedabad schools to hike fees by 10 to 15%

Parents whose children study in private schools will feel some extra heat this summer as schools have planned to hike fees to around 10 to 15%.

According to the figures shared by school authorities, the hike might be anything between Rs5,000 to Rs15,000 per year for a single student. For example: Shreyas School authorities have written to the parents of class II students that fees would be increased from Rs 28,000 to Rs 33,000 per annum from the starting academic year — a hike of around 18%.

Shreyas is not the only school opting for the hike. Other schools like Anand Niketan, Sattv Vikas and Delhi Public School (DPS) too have plans to increase the annual fee.

Nashy Chauhan, director of Anand Niketan group of schools, said though no decision taken yet, the school might implement around 5 to 8% hike from the next academic year. “As school expenses go up, the fee hike becomes imperative. The expenses include teachers’s salary (around 10% annual hike) and maintenance cost. Also, the school introduces newer facilities for students every year and even that requires funding,” she said.

Raja Pathak, trustee of Sattva Vikas, said the school has a different formula. “It is not only school expenses that need to be considered. We provide breakfast and lunch to students and the price of food grain has increased. Similarly, textbooks and transportation need to be considered,” he said. The school’s annual fee is Rs1.60 lakh per annum, which is to be hiked by 10%.

One of the parents said it is understood that prices have gone up recently. But schools should also consider generating money from other sources. “This would lessen the burden on parents and school as well.

Providing quality education to children is anyway an expensive affair. And, with the fee increasing every year, parents feel the pinch as they don’t want to compromise the quality of education,” he said.