AAP proposes changes to school fee hike Bill
The Bill, which was tabled by Education Minister Ashish Sood on Monday, has not been passed yet.
AAP alleged that the BJP government 'did not consult all stakeholders'. 'Parents kept asking for a copy of the Bill to offer their suggestions, but it was kept hidden for four months... it has been made for the benefit of private schools,' Ms. Atishi said at a press conference.
The Bill proposes the formation of an 11-member school-level committee to approve fee hikes in each school. If 15% of the school's parents' body objects to the hike, it can approach a district-level committee.
'Mandatory audits'
AAP's proposed amendments include a mandatory audit in each school with the report to be sent to parents.
In a post on X, Ms. Atishi said, 'Our demand is that the fees of 2024-25 should be charged by the school until the audit is done.'
The Opposition party also suggested that 10 parents of each school be elected to the 11-member school-level committee and the threshold of objecting parents be reduced from 15% of the parents' body to 15 parents in total.
Ms. Atishi said AAP has also proposed that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee of the Assembly, comprising members of the ruling party and AAP, and that it take into consideration the suggestionts of all stakeholders.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
All private schools in Delhi will now be subject to fee regulation: Govt
New Delhi Parents are hopeful the new bill will help regulate fees. (Representative photo) Fee regulation norms that only applied to select schools under the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA's) land clause will now apply to all government and private schools, once the bill introduced in the assembly is passed, education minister Ashish Sood said on Thursday. Speaking at the sidelines of the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Delhi Assembly, the minister said the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, is likely to be passed on Friday. He said the biggest benefit of the bill will be its equitable applicability, ending a 'decade of unchecked profiteering' by private institutions. 'This bill replaces a toothless, reactive framework with a proactive, empowered, and transparent one. Earlier, the DoE could only approve the fees increased by the schools under the land clause, while there are hundreds of smaller private schools where fee increase goes unchecked. The parents of bigger schools complain, but if the fee of a small private school in Najafgarh increases from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500, it is a 50% hike. This is a huge burden for the parents of that school but they, in most cases, do not complain,' Sood said. He said that of over 1,443 schools, the land clause applied to just about 350 schools, and that fees can be checked by the Department of Education (DoE) if a complaint is made under the Delhi School Education Act & Rules, 1973 (DSEAR, 1973). To be sure, the land clause applies to schools that were allotted land on subsidised rates by the DDA. These schools have to inform DoE about proposed fee hikes online on its portal, for review by the department. Asha Prabhakar, chairperson, National Progressive Schools' Conference (NPSC), said that irrespective of whether schools are built on DDA land, the operational cost of running schools increases every year. 'Fuel costs, teachers' salaries, day-to-day costs are increasing each year. Every school's fees largely depend on these factors as well; these things have to be taken into consideration,' she said. Karan Aggrawal, whose ward studies at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, said he is hoping for relief from rocketing fees, but was unsure how the law would apply. 'We just want one thing—that is school fees should not be so high that a middle-class parent is not able to afford it. That is our only concern,' he said. The education minister said that under the existing norms, the fee changes submitted to the DoE were not approved for any school last year; it was approved for 28 schools in 2023 and 228 schools in 2022. Data accessed by HT revealed sharp fee hikes by schools regulated under the land clause. While 168 proposals were submitted in 2016-17, the number climbed to 262 by 2023-24; the percentage of accepted proposals grew from around 40% in 2019-20 to around 63% in 2022-23 and 67% in 2023-24. 'In 2024-25, interestingly, 244 proposals were submitted but none accepted, rejected or decided upon. This was the year before the election. The reality is that more schools hiked fees than those who even submitted proposals,' Sood said, alleging that the previous government failed to enforce its own regulations. He further accused the previous regime of failing to monitor schools, irrespective of whether they were regulated under the land clause. 'Audits were rare, and legal ambiguities, particularly after a 2024 high court stay, left the DoE paralysed from issuing enforceable orders. The previous government, in their 10-year regime, totally failed to regulate their fee and did not audit their statements of fee or return filed with DoE, except for a few schools,' Sood said. Delhi president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Sood of trying to mislead parents. 'The actual aim of this new act is to protect over 350 private schools in Delhi from various judgments of the high court and the Supreme Court of India... With this new act, these private schools will attempt to bypass the requirement of seeking prior permission from the director of education. They will also use the act to justify and legalise the illegal fee hikes they implemented in the past without approval,' he said. The new bill includes a mandatory audit of accounts, a three-tier regulatory framework, empowered parent committees, strict penalties and public disclosure, the minister said, which were not part of the regulatory framework so far. Aparajita Gautam, president, Delhi Parents Association, said that the government should first quantify the number of schools in the Capital. 'The number of schools stated by the government is different in each statement; first, they should come up with one number which is accurate. Also, play schools should also be included in this bill; why are they left out?' she said.
Hindustan Times
8 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Cabinet meeting: UP Rural Population Records Bill, Har Ghar Tiranga funding approved
The state cabinet has given its approval to the Uttar Pradesh Rural Population Records Bill-2025 to make the process of updating land documents of the rural population simple and transparent. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet also gave its approval to the proposal to use the State Finance Commission funds for flag distribution under the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' Campaign on the occasion of Independence Day 2025. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath presided over the state cabinet meeting. (HT file) With the process of transfer, amendment and updating the gharauni ( land ownership documents) simplified, it will now be easy to change the name on the basis of inheritance, sale, gift, will, auction, court order or family agreement. Revenue inspector and tehsildar/naib tehsildar will get the right to update the gharauni in clean cases. Application can now be made for correction of a clerical error or the mobile number or address. Till now, more than 1.06 crore gharaunis have been prepared in the state, out of which more than 1.01 crore have been distributed. Under the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, 60 lakh national flags will be distributed free of cost in urban poor areas. An amount of ₹12 crore from the State Finance Commission is being provided to urban local bodies for this purpose. These flags will be produced by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) associated with the State Urban Livelihoods Mission under the urban development department, providing employment to approximately 29,000 women and boosting the local economy. The success of the campaign will be ensured through the active involvement of public representatives, student organizations, civil society groups, and the general public. Principal secretary, urban development, Amrit Abhijat, stated: 'This campaign is not merely symbolic, but a people's movement that strengthens the spirit of nation-building through public participation, women empowerment, and cleanliness. Involving self-help groups in the production of flags will not only generate local employment but also fulfill the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.' As per government directives, committees will be formed under the chairmanship of the district magistrate in each district to prepare and implement action plans for the programme's execution. During the campaign period, special cleanliness drives will be carried out at martyrs' memorials, historical sites and other public places. Urban local bodies will organise activities based on the theme 'Swachh Nagari – Jhanda Nagari.'
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Contempt of entire House: AAP MLA slams CM Rekha Guptas directive in Assembly
New Delhi [India], August 8 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Chief Whip in the Delhi Assembly and Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha slammed CM Rekha Gupta's directive in the Assembly, calling it a 'licence for officers to ignore elected representatives".According to a release, he emphasised that the order–which mandates MLAs and ministers to seek the Chief Secretary's approval before calling DMs or SDMs for meetings–has 'become an excuse for officers to stop taking their calls". Calling it a 'direct attack on democracy" and 'contempt of the House", Sanjeev Jha urged the Speaker to 'intervene" and ask the government to 'withdraw the order immediately".On the fourth day of the Delhi Assembly's Monsoon Session, Sanjeev Jha stated, 'A few days ago, CM Rekha Gupta issued an order stating that if any MLA or minister wants to call a DM or SDM for a meeting, they must first obtain the Chief Secretary's approval. This is not merely a matter concerning opposition or ruling party MLAs — it concerns even ministers. This is contempt of the entire House. I have submitted a privilege notice in this regard and I hope the Speaker will accept it."Warning of the consequences of such interference, Sanjeev Jha said, 'If the executive starts trying to control the legislature in this manner, the very definition of democracy will cease to exist."As per the release, urging the Speaker to intervene, he added, 'Only you can protect us. The responsibility of safeguarding the dignity of this House lies with the Speaker. Such an order is an affront to this House. And if it is contempt of this House, then it is also contempt of the Speaker's chair."Condemning the CM's directive, the AAP Chief Whip further added, 'Any such order that seeks to undermine the legislature must be opposed. In a democracy, the people elect their representatives — and in a democratic and constitutional setup, the people are supreme. To insult the will of the people is equivalent to insulting the Constitution."Sanjeev Jha said, as per the release, 'The bureaucracy constantly waits for opportunities to obstruct the work of elected representatives. This order from the CM proves that now, DMs and SDMs will have an excuse not to answer calls — in fact, the DM is not taking my calls. The CM's order is wrong, and the government must withdraw it immediately." (ANI)
