HYDERABAD: With new admissions for the academic year 2021-22 reducing to a trickle, many private budget schools across Telangana — including many within Hyderabad — are on the verge of shutting down. According to the managements, a majority of these schools are facing a dry spell and at least 3,000 to 4,000 schools have not even started online classes or engaged the services of a single teacher.
“Before Covid-19, we used to get at least 50 to 60 admissions each for nursery and kindergarten and several new admissions for class 1 and class 2. The same was the case with other classes, up to class 6. But this year, even if we consider all classes, there are not even 50 new admissions,” said M Sridhar, correspondent, Sri Chaitanya Public School, Jagtial. He said he is unable to generate even Rs 75,000 to pay towards annual rent of the premises.
The fact that many students and their parents, especially in rural and remote areas, are not interested in online classes or paying the fees, has only made matters worse. “During the 2019-20 academic year, we had more than 200 students but not many paid the fees. Now we have about Rs 10 lakh in debt from then. Last year, the situation was worse. Even if I sell school buses and other belongings, I won’t be able to clear my debts,” said Jaganmohan Swami, who runs an upper primary school in Karimnagar.With no income, Swami said is currently unable to pay either his school or house rent.
According to Telangana Recognised School Management Association (TRSMA), at least half of the schools are yet to start online classes and most of them don’t have any new admissions.
1,500 schools shut shop due to Covid:
Many schools have already succumbed to the financial crisis. According to TRSMA records, at least 1,500 schools across the state to pulled their shutters down, since the start of the pandemic. Reason: Inability to afford the rents or EMIs, with parents not paying fee, said school managements that TOI spoke to. They said they had not choice but to exit as the monetary burden was getting too much for them to handle. Shekhar Rao Y, president of TRSMA said that the number of those shutting shop could be much higher than 1,500.
