HYDERABAD: Job loss and financial crisis during the pandemic have forced many parents to downgrade their child’s school by opting for an educational institution with less fee. In some cases, a few were forced to look for a cheaper option as sponsors have backed out from shelling out a huge amount for online classes.
“It did not make sense for me to continue to pay about Rs 40, 000 per year even during the pandemic. I wanted to minimise expenditure and decided to opt for a school with a lesser fee,” said K Srujana, whose sons are studying in class 6 and class 8.
Srujana said they did not compromise on the quality of education, but just looked for a better option. “Now, we are paying Rs 16, 000 each for my sons,” said Srujana, who runs a boutique.
Parents said that it was not worth opting for schools that charge lakhs of rupees even for kindergarten school. They questioned what these schools were teaching children by charging such exorbitant fees.
Another parent, Pavan D, whose daughter is in class 8, said that he had also decided to opt-out of an international school. “When I spoke with management about exorbitant fees, it felt that this is just another business for them. I no longer wanted to continue in that school and moved her to another school, which charges way less than what we were paying in this top school,” Pavan added. He said that one of the reasons why he opted for a school with a less fee was an addition in the family, the birth of his son. “I could not afford to pay about a lakh each for both my kids. I don’t think it is worth paying,” he added.
Several parents said they have moved their children to a different school after their fight against management to enforce fee regulation norms failed. “They behaved as if we are asking for a discount. Whereas, in reality, we were just asking them to follow norms and collect fees accordingly,” another parent, whose daughter is in class 9, said.
Parents affected by job loss and financial crisis during the pandemic said that it was not worth opting for schools that charge lakhs of rupees even for kindergarten. They questioned what these schools were teaching children by charging such exorbitant fees
