Bengaluru’s parents face steep fee hikes: Bengaluru parents are facing an unprecedented increase in school fees, with multiple institutions announcing hikes ranging from 10% to as high as 30% for the 2025-26 academic year. According to a recent TNN report, some parents have reported their children’s tuition nearly doubling over the past five years, far outpacing inflation rates. A viral social media post reported across media outlets in early 2025 highlighted the issue, detailing how one parent’s third-grade child’s fees had surged to Rs 2.1 lakh, excluding transportation costs. The Association of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka has defended these hikes, citing operational costs, inflation, and teacher salary revisions. However, frustrated parents argue that these increases are excessive and lack transparency, leading to growing dissent and organized protests.
A nationwide trend: Delhi and Mumbai follow suit
While Bengaluru’s fee crisis has dominated recent headlines, the trend of exponential school fee hikes is not new. In Mumbai, parents witnessed shocking fee increases in 2024, with some reporting hikes of up to 65% year-on-year. In Delhi, despite a regulatory framework that mandates government approval for private school fee hikes, several schools were found violating these rules, implementing retrospective hikes without authorization. Investigations uncovered that some Delhi schools were raising fees under the pretext of capital expenditure, despite maintaining surplus funds. These cases illustrate a widespread issue, where regulatory gaps allow private institutions to increase fees significantly, often without clear justification.
‘It’s not just chalk and blackboard’: Schools justify spike
School administrators frequently cite multiple justifications for fee hikes, framing them as necessary rather than profit-driven decisions. One of the primary reasons provided is teacher salary revisions. With a competitive job market for educators, schools argue that they must regularly increase salaries to retain qualified teachers.
Since faculty compensation forms a significant portion of school budgets, this cost is often passed on to parents. Rising operational costs also factor into these increases. School management associations point to inflation in textbook prices, uniform fabric, utility bills, technology infrastructure, and maintenance as contributing factors to tuition hikes. Another commonly cited reason is post-pandemic financial recovery, where schools claim they restrained fee hikes during the COVID-19 years and are now compensating for lost revenue.
Delhi’s ‘tight’ regulations: How effective is it?
Delhi is one of the few cities with a formal regulatory mechanism that requires private schools on government-allotted land to seek prior approval for fee increases. The Directorate of Education (DoE) mandates schools to submit detailed financial statements and engage with parent-teacher associations before any hikes. However, reports have surfaced indicating that many schools bypass these regulations.
A vigilance directorate investigation found that 18 Delhi schools had implemented unauthorized fee hikes, some of them retrospectively, an act not covered under existing regulations. Legal battles between parents and schools have intensified, with courts often intervening to mediate disputes over what constitutes a fair increase.
Mumbai’s middle class struggles to keep up
In Mumbai, parents have taken to social media and public protests to highlight how the rising cost of private education is making schooling unaffordable for middle-class families. Unlike Delhi, Maharashtra’s regulatory framework for school fees is less prominent, allowing institutions more leeway in setting tuition rates. Parents argue that while the government regulates fees for engineering colleges, there is a lack of oversight when it comes to private school education. Viral social media posts have amplified these concerns, fueling public discourse about the financial strain on families trying to provide quality education for their children.
Are fee hikes always justified? The gray areas of school pricing
While schools argue that tuition hikes are necessary, some fee increases seem difficult to justify based on operational costs alone. In Delhi, for example, the vigilance report highlighted retrospective fee hikes with no legal basis, indicating that some institutions may be capitalizing on regulatory loopholes.
Another key concern is the disproportionate nature of these increases, parents question why school fees continue to rise by 10%-30% annually when inflation is significantly lower. Some advocacy groups argue that fee increases should be indexed to inflation rather than arbitrarily set by school management.
The Regulatory Maze: Patchy rules, weak oversight rules and little-to-no weak enforcement
The inconsistent regulation of school fees across Indian states has created an uneven landscape. While Delhi has stringent rules (albeit with enforcement challenges), states like Karnataka have struggled to regulate private school fees due to prolonged legal battles.
In some regions, the lack of regulatory oversight allows schools to impose high annual hikes without facing penalties. Even in states with rules in place, enforcement remains weak. For instance, Delhi’s regulatory framework includes penalties for non-compliance, yet many schools continue implementing unauthorized hikes, suggesting that deterrents are either insufficient or poorly enforced.
What lies ahead? Balancing costs and accessibility
The growing debate over rising private school fees underscores the need for a more balanced approach, one that ensures educational institutions can maintain quality while preventing undue financial burdens on parents. Regulatory frameworks must be strengthened to ensure transparency in school finances and align fee increases with objective economic indicators.
Parents, advocacy groups, and policymakers must work together to create sustainable solutions that balance institutional financial needs with educational accessibility. Without effective intervention, the rapid escalation of school fees threatens to widen the gap between those who can afford quality education and those who cannot.
(With inputs from agencies)
