Delhi Govt Accepts Ordinance To Regulate School Fees, Imposes Strict Penalties
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Ashish Sood said that the decision by the Delhi government will play a crucial role in controlling arbitrary fee hikes by 1,677 private schools in Delhi in the future.
The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved an ordinance to regulate the fee structure in private schools. This ordinance allows the city government to impose fines of up to Rs 10 lakh on schools and revoke their right to propose fee revisions if they violate norms, reported PTI.
During a press conference, Delhi's Education Minister Ashish Sood announced that the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, approved the ordinance. This decision is based on the proposed Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025.
'The ordinance will be sent for presidential assent through the Lieutenant Governor. This is a day of happiness for parents whose children study in private schools. It will eventually take the form of a law," Sood said.
He mentioned that the decision by the Delhi government will play a crucial role in controlling arbitrary fee hikes by 1,677 private schools in Delhi in the future.
The draft ordinance, approved by the cabinet on April 29, imposes strict penalties on schools that arbitrarily increase fees, including the loss of the right to propose fee revisions, the report added.
It specifies that if a school charges fees exceeding the allowed norms, it must refund the excess amount within 20 working days.
For the first offence, the school will be fined between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. For repeat offences, the penalty will range from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
If the school fails to refund the amount within the stipulated time, the fine will double after 20 days, triple after 40 days, and continue increasing with each 20-day delay. The ordinance also has provisions for penalising repeated violators, the PTI report added.
Three committees will be established to oversee the fee regulation process — one at the school level, one at the district level, and a Revision Committee at the highest level.
The 'Revision Committee' will be the final authority on disputes or decisions related to school fees. It will be led by the Director of Education and include an eminent educationist, a chartered accountant, the Controller of Accounts, representatives from schools and parents, and a former education official. Its decisions will be binding for three years.
The 'District Committee' will be chaired by the District Director of Education, with members including the Deputy Director of Education of the zone, two school principals nominated by the Directorate of Education (DoE), and two parents' representatives also nominated by the DoE. This committee will resolve disputes between school management and the School Level Fee Regulation Committees.
Every private unaided school, including those offering Indian and foreign curricula, minority institutions, and those allocated land at concessional rates, must establish a 'School Level Fee Regulation Committee' each academic year by July 15. This committee will be chaired by a school management representative, with the Principal serving as Secretary. Other members will include three teachers, five parents (selected by lot), and one DoE nominee. The committee must include at least one member from the SC/ST/OBC categories and at least two women. Its tenure will last one academic year.
Fee-related appeals can first be taken to the District Committee. Any aggrieved party, including parents, school management, or the School Level Committee, can escalate the issue to the Revision Committee, which the government will officially notify.
The list of committee members must be displayed within seven working days of formation. The committee must hold a general meeting before August 15 and perform its functions as per the Act.
Parents cannot serve on the committee for more than two consecutive years, and a two-year gap is required before being eligible for nomination again.
Schools are granted the autonomy to propose fees within a set framework. For the academic year 2025–26, the fees already charged from April 1, 2025, will be treated as the proposed fees.
However, any school whose recognition has been suspended, found guilty of violating the Act, or penalised twice in succession under Section 14, will not be allowed to propose any fee hikes.
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New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
June 11, 2025, 16:08 IST
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