Dharwad: Residents of Dharwad welcomed the sanctioning of a new Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) at IIT Dharwad a few months ago, hoping to secure quality education for their children at affordable fees. However, many parents are now shocked to learn that the fee structure is far higher than that of regular KVs and comparable to private schools. Upset over the annual fee exceeding Rs 24,000, some parents have already withdrawn their children. Authorities maintain that since the school is a project-sector KV, the fee is determined by the funding PSU, IIT Dharwad in this case.Ramachandra Hamsanur, a parent, told TOI that he enrolled his daughter in May after learning about the KV on the IIT campus. “In civil-sector KVs, the fee for Class 1 is around Rs 6,000 annually. At the time of admission, the fee structure was not disclosed. Assuming it would be similar, many parents shifted their children. Now that the fee is Rs 6,300 per quarter, we are withdrawing. I have already taken my daughter out,” he said.Several parents who attended a parent-teacher meeting on Saturday said the issue was raised with school authorities. “IIT and KV officials said IIT can fix the fee as it funds the school. They assured us of better teaching standards and superior infrastructure compared to civil-sector KVs,” they said.Parents have urged Union education minister and Dharwad MP Pralhad Joshi to intervene and bring the fee structure in line with other KVs.Vikas P, another parent, said he shifted his son back to a private school because of the cost. “Apart from the annual fee of over Rs 24,000, we had to pay Rs 2,000 a month for transport since the school is nearly 15km from the city. Had the fee been similar to that of other KVs, we could have managed the transport expense,” he said.Responding to the concerns, Vijeth J Kotagi, assistant professor and PRO, IIT Dharwad, said only 7-8 students had withdrawn, mostly due to transfers or admissions elsewhere. “Vacant seats have been filled from the waiting list and almost all seats are occupied,” he said.
