TN: Top schools allowed Rs 7k hike in fees

CHENNAI: Several popular city schools on Wednesday received their revised fee structure, under which they were awarded at least Rs7,000 higher than what was recommended by the Private School Fee Determination Committee in May 2010. Among top city schools, SBOA Matriculation was awarded the highest annual fee of Rs 25,000 for Class XI and XII, which is a 127 per cent hike from the previously prescribed amount for the school.On Wednesday, the fee lists for 242 schools in the Chennai district, held back by a day to complete auditing, were finally made available to the schools, whose managements had lined up outside Jaigopal Garodia School, Saidapet, where the fee structure distribution was held. While smaller schools, catering to primary and nursery classes, cringed at the meagre increase that the fee committee has prescribed, most top city schools received at least 70 per cent hike under the new fee structure. Managements of these top schools handled the media with prepared restraint, unwillingly disclosing only partial information about their fee structure.Among the popular city schools, SBOA Matriculation seemed to have had the steepest raise in fees, from the Rs 11,000 recommended last year to Rs 25,000 this year. The starting fee fixed in the school for kindergarten is Rs 15,400.