Bengaluru parents take to streets and social media, outraged over soaring private school fees after report reveals annual fees of ₹2.1 lakh for third-grader .
The fee breakdown, shared by the Voice of Parents Association, includes ₹1.9 lakh for tuition fees, ₹9,000 for annual fees and ₹11,449 labeled as ‘advances’. The caption of the post summed up the frustration: “₹2.1 lakh fee for 3rd standard in Bengaluru. No inflation can justify this. The government regulates the tuition fees of engineering schools but avoids the subject of tuition fees. There’s no business like school business.
Voice of Parents called for immediate government intervention, calling the situation “profiteering and commercialization of education.” While recognizing the constitutional right of schools to operate autonomously under sections 29, 30 and 19(1)(g), the group argued that these freedoms do not permit excessive profiteering.
The association urged the government to establish fee-setting committees and enforce strict oversight to prevent schools from exploiting weak regulatory systems. He also accuses schools of resisting accountability measures and criticizes the corruption that perpetuates the problem.
This viral post sparked an intense debate on social media about the affordability and accessibility of education. One user argued that “running a school with good infrastructure is expensive and capping tuition fees could have detrimental consequences. The best solution is to open quality public schools. Others cited systemic changes as a solution, with one commenter writing: “When the privileged choose public schools, their infrastructure will automatically improve. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure free, quality education for all.”
Some users attribute the high fees to premium international programs. “Schools in areas like Whitefield and Sarjapur charge similar rates, citing Cambridge and IB programs and smaller class sizes,” one commenter noted. Meanwhile, others have blamed market dynamics, observing: “Parents willing to pay such fees create this market, allowing schools to charge exorbitant fees.” »
