A government-run Karnataka Public School (KPS) located in KR Pet, Mandya district, is under fire for allegedly collecting fees from students despite the institution being mandated to offer free education.
Parents have voiced serious concerns, stating that the school has been charging annual fees ranging between ₹2,500 and ₹5,000 per student. “When we questioned the staff, they justified the charges by saying it was for English-medium instruction,” a parent remarked.
But it’s not just the parents who are upset. Members of the School Development Monitoring Committee (SDMC) have also raised objections, filing complaints with the Block Education Officer (BEO). However, no action has reportedly been taken so far. “We have approached the authorities, but the BEO has remained inactive,” lamented another parent.
KPS KR Pet was established in the 2018–19 academic year with the goal of offering seamless education from kindergarten to Class 12 under one campus, partly in response to rising demand for English-medium instruction.
Shockingly, in some instances, fee payment receipts were issued in the name of a private tutorial centre. A few parents even revealed that the school had asked them to deposit fees directly into a joint bank account held by the SDMC chairperson and the school principal.
Acting principal Puligeraiah, who assumed charge on July 1, claimed ignorance of the issue, noting that over 2,384 students are enrolled in the institution. The Department of School Education has now ordered an inquiry by the Mandya Deputy Director of Public Instruction.