A petition has been filed in the Telangana High Court by the parents of children complaining that the school managements are charging exorbitant fees although the schools have been shut due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The petition was filed by the parents association of Telangana. In its petition, parents association contended that the private aided and unaided schools were fleecing them with frightfully expensive fees leaving parents with a huge financial burden to bear at a time the corona imposed lockdown has impacted their incomes.

Further, they argued that schools were levying additional fees on students for holding virtual classes during the Covid-19 pandemic. This despite the Telangana government ordering private schools not to hike fees in the 2020-21 academic session. Chief Minister K Chandarsekhar Rao, in a Cabinet meeting in April, had clearly instructed private schools not to increase fees in this academic session. The Telangana government instructed schools not to force parents to pay the annual fee in one go but collect it only on a monthly basis.

However, the parents association argued that despite the Telangana government’s resolution asking private aided/unaided schools not to hike school fees in this time of the pandemic, no substantial relief was being given to the parents. The petitioners argued that they are financially incapacitated due to COVID-19 induced lockdown, yet the school managements are exerting pressure to pay up high fees even though the schools have not reopened.

After hearing the arguments, the High Court posted the next hearing to July 3.