Amid complaints, Delhi approves Bill to regulate fees in private, govt schools
There have been complaints by parents and guardians against "irregular and exorbitant" fee hikes by private unaided schools in Delhi
The Delhi government on Tuesday (April 29) approved a Bill to regulate the fee structure in private and government schools in the national capital following widespread criticism over arbitrary fee hikes.
Chief minister Rekha Gupta said the BJP government had taken a "bold and historic" step by approving the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025.
"A complete guideline, procedure for fees will be decided for all 1,677 schools in Delhi, whether they are aided, non-aided or private. For the first time in history, such a Bill is being drafted by the government," she said.
Gupta said the issue was discussed widely in recent days and there was panic among the parents due to the activities of some schools and complaints regarding harassment of students in the name of fee hike.
Delhi CM blames AAP
The chief minister sought to blame the earlier Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, which was voted out in earlier this year, for the situation.
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"The previous governments in Delhi made no provision to prevent the fee hike. There was no guideline to help the government prevent a fee hike by private schools," she said.
New committees
Education minister Ashish Sood said the bill proposes formation of three-tier committees to regulate fee hikes.
Sood said the panels will decide on fees for three years, based on the school infrastructure. School teachers and parents will also be involved in the decision-making process.
"Three teachers and five parents will be part of the process. These members will be selected through a draw and will decide on the fee for three years," he said.
The minister also said that a 10-member committee will be formed at the district level. It will include two women and one from either the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe category.
Complaints by parents
There have been long-standing complaints by parents and guardians against "irregular and exorbitant" fee hikes by private unaided schools in the national capital.
Some parents alleged coercive practices by schools, including denial of admit cards for board examinations and threats to strike off names of students over non-payment of what they describe as unauthorised fees.
They also alleged that students faced mental harassment at schools if the fee payment was delayed.
The issue took a political turn after AAP leader Atishi took a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and challenged chief minister Gupta to immediately stop fee hikes in all private schools.
Inspection of schools
On April 15, Gupta said notices were issued to schools over complaints of "arbitrary fee hikes" and asserted that her government was committed to transparency and protection of children's right to education.
A day later, the Delhi government inspected 600 private schools following complaints of unregulated fee hikes.
According to the Directorate of Education (DoE), schools guilty of arbitrary fee hike for profiteering were being served showcause notices under the Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSEAR), 1973.
Inspections also revealed that several schools failed to meet their statutory obligations regarding the submission of fee statements and audited financial reports.