02-07-2025
Karnataka Public School in K.R. Pet found charging annual fee for students
Despite the promise of providing free and compulsory education to all children between the ages of 6 and 14 years in government schools, some Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) in the State have been found charging fees for students ranging from ₹2,500 to ₹5,000 per annum.
Parents of KPS at K.R. Pet in Mandya district have alleged that the school is charging students in English medium section as per the decision of the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC). Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of K.R. Pet, H.T. Manju, is the Chairman of the SDMC.
Parents and a member of the SDMC of the school have complained to the Block Education Officer (BEO) of the K.R. Pet taluk, but no action has been taken even after a month, they alleged.
The State government started KPS across the State from 2018-19 to teach from pre-primary to class 12 under one roof. These schools offer bilingual classes, including English medium, from the pre-primary section. The governmenthas issued an order and framed separate regulations for the SDMCs of KPS .
Accordingly, it has been suggested to form an SDMC consisting of a total of 16 parents in schools with more than 1,023 children. This SDMC is chaired by the local MLA. Several sub-committees have been formed for the development of the school, and the SDMC can accept donations from the public and donors and carry out the development of the school.
Responding to the issue, K.V. Trilokchandra, Commissioner of Public Instruction, said, 'It is completely against the rules to charge annual fees from government school children. I have instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya district to investigate this issue and submit a report. Based on the report, action will be taken against the culprits.'
Violation of rules
However, the SDMC of the KPS in K.R. Pet held a meeting and took a decision to collect fees from the children, and it was found that the fees were being collected illegally every year.
While some students were given receipts in the name of the schools, some receipts were in the name of a private coaching centre. Some students were also asked to deposit the fees directly into the joint bank accounts of the school principal and the SDMC chairman.
'As per the Right to Education Act-2009, free and compulsory education should be provided to children between the ages of 6 and 14 in all government schools. However, in our KPS, a fee of ₹3,600 has been collected for LKG students, ₹2,600 from UKG students and ₹5,300 for English medium students from classes 1 to 7,' alleged a parent.
Parents allege that many KPS in the Mandya district have also charged annual fees to children. 'The SDMC has no right to fix fees in the government schools. Most of the children studying in government schools are economically and socially backward, and they are being deprived of education. Even after complaining to the BEO about this, no action has been taken. the government should immediately conduct an investigation and take legal action against the SDMCs that are collecting fees from school children,' urged another parent.
Huge demand
Speaking to The Hindu, Puligeraiah, in-charge principal of the school in K.R. Pete, said, 'The previous principal retired from service on June 30, 2025, and I have been working as the in-charge principal since July 1. So, I do not know much about the issue. There are a total of 2,384 children in our school. We have a limitation of only 30 children to be admitted for the LKG English medium section. However, due to the huge demand, additional sections have been started. Additional teachers and staff have been recruited for this. In this context, the decision to charge fees from the children may have been taken.'
