With no official order on free education for Class 9 and 10 SC/ST students in Karnataka, private schools demand hefty fees

Despite the Karnataka government announcing in the 2026-27 budget that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) students will get free education in the same school for Classes 9 and 10 under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, no official order regarding its implementation has been issued. As a result, parents have alleged that private schools are demanding hefty fees from such students to continue in their schools in Classes 9 and 10.

“My daughter, who was enrolled under RTE in a prestigious private school in Kengeri, has passed from class 8 to class 9 this year. The school management is refusing to enroll her in class 9 under RTE, saying that they have not received any official order from the government in this regard. In addition, they are asking for a fee of ₹1.5 lakh to continue in class 9,” said Prakash, from Kengeri, Bengaluru.