Draft bill to rein in schools on fee hike, monitor finances, ensure accountability

Time of India

29-04-2025

New Delhi:
Delhi govt has passed a draft bill to set guidelines for all private and govt schools in the city to
regulate school fees
. The bill, approved by the Delhi cabinet on Tuesday, seeks to establish a clear and transparent procedure for school fee structures, preventing arbitrary hikes and ensuring fairness for parents.
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Once the bill becomes an Act, schools raising fees without permission will face fines up to Rs 10 lakh and their recognition could also be revoked, as per the draft. A fee regulation committee will be formed in every school, giving parents direct decision-making power, said chief minister Rekha Gupta. A three-tier committee system will be implemented for appeals regarding fee disputes, with committees formed at the school, district and state levels.
The decision was taken after several parents raised the issue of arbitrary fee hikes by schools during meetings with Gupta.
The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill Draft, 2025, advocates the establishment of school-level fee regulation committees, district fee appellate committees and a revision committee to oversee fee structures and address grievances. It also states that there should be representation of all stakeholders, including parents, teachers and members from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and women, in the school-level fee regulation committees.
The bill mandates the selection of parent and teacher representatives by draw of lots and decision-making by majority vote within committees. It bars schools from taking coercive action against students for non-payment of fees, such as striking off names from rolls, withholding examination results, denying access to classes or activities, or subjecting students to public humiliation or psychological harassment.
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Gupta said that Delhi govt's primary goal is to ensure that every child has access to modern, quality education. "There have been complaints from parents and students about arbitrary fee hikes and the expulsion of children from schools. It was reported that school managements were not only charging arbitrary fees, but also harassing students who could not pay, threatening to expel them," she said.
The chief minister pointed out that while the issue has been ongoing for years, no govt previously implemented a concrete policy to control hikes in school fees.
"For the first time, the 1,677 private schools in Delhi will be governed by legally regulated fee guidelines," she said. Officials said the bill would be passed in the upcoming monsoon session.
Education minister Ashish Sood said coercive action will be taken, ranging from fines to more serious legal action if the violations are more severe. Criticising the previous AAP govt, he said, "They made a law to give a bottle free with another bottle.
We made a law to give justice to the parents and students. It has been going on for decades, and we brought a law within 60 days."
Meanwhile, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the new bill proved BJP govt was "hand in glove" with private school managements. "It makes it impossible for parents to complain unless they gather 15% of parents; this is a tool to crush parents' voices," he said.
The bill was aimed at shielding private schools and silencing parents, Bharadwaj said, adding that BJP govt had betrayed Delhi's middle class within 65 days of gaining power.
"They've replaced elected PTA members with handpicked ones," he claimed.