Delhi Government To Table School Fee Regulation Bill Amid Opposition Heat Over Parent Protests And Delay

NDTV

3 days ago

In a major move to address the ongoing controversy over rising school fees in the capital, Delhi's Education Minister Ashish Sood is set to present the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fee) Bill, 2025 in the Assembly during the Monsoon Session starting August 4.
The bill, which proposes regulation of how private schools in Delhi set and change fees, intends to provide for transparency, accountability, and protection of parents, and instituting a systemised grievance redressal mechanism.
According to the ordinance passed by the Delhi Cabinet on April 29, the new law makes penalisation strict for those schools which increase fees arbitrarily. Fines for a first-time offence would be between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. In repeated offending, the penalties may be as high as Rs 10 lakh. Furthermore, not returning excess fees within the specified period would result in a doubling of penalties after 20 days, tripling after 40 days, and increasing further for each 20-day delay. Repeat offenders could also stand disqualified from school management positions and lose the right to make fee increase proposals in the future.
But the bill has come under heavy criticism from the opposition, particularly AAP.
AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj labelled the bill as a "bonanza for private schools" and an "attack on parents." The AAP leader accused the proposed framework of giving power to private school managements, and muzzling parents, and legalizing fee exploitation. "In April alone, some schools increased fees up to 82%. Instead of putting an end to this, BJP has introduced a bill that does away with audits, curtails complaints, and leaves everything in the hands of committees run by schools," he claimed.
He also faulted the new complaint system, saying, "Previously, even one parent could appeal to the Director of Education. Now, the law mandates that 15% of all parents must collectively file a complaint. With a school of 3,000 students, this amounts to locating 450 parents an impossible feat."
In a biting analogy, he went on, "If there is an overflowing sewer in your street, must you be asked to collect signatures from 15% of your colony before the authorities act? This is unreasonable and unfair."
Has the Government Postponed the Fee Question Since February?
The war of words on the fee increases in private schools started mounting in February and March when parents began protests throughout Delhi following some schools, such as DPS Dwarka, reportedly punished students for not paying fees even by making them sit in the library as punishment.
Following increasing pressure, the newly formed Delhi government pledged to introduce a bill to regulate private school fees. On April 29, the Cabinet cleared the draft bill. The Budget Session of the Assembly commenced on May 13, and there was general hope that the bill would be brought in during this period. The session, however, concluded without the bill being placed on the table, mounting parent-led protests.
Demonstrators came to the offices of Education Minister Ashish Sood, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and the Directorate of Education, calling for action at once.
To try and stem the unrest, the Delhi government declared on June 11 that it had cleared an ordinance called the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fee) Ordinance, 2025. The government argued that because the Assembly was not in session, the ordinance was needed.
But parents complain that the government did not consult stakeholders and did not make the ordinance public. Even after several meetings including one between parent groups and Delhi Leader of Opposition Atishi the ordinance remains to be implemented, almost two months after cabinet clearance.
This has left many questions unanswered:
Was the LG clearing the ordinance?
Was it forwarded to the Union Home Ministry or President's Office?
Why is there a delay when BJP is in power both at the Centre and in the Delhi government?
Since ordinances have a six-month limit of validity, critics interpret the delay to mean that the government might be stalling without bringing genuine relief for agitating parents.
Now that the Monsoon Session starts from August 4, the government has ensured that it will introduce the school fee regulation bill in the Assembly. Copies of the bill have been circulated among all members.
As the bill finally reaches the Assembly, all eyes are on the debate between the government and the opposition, and whether the final version will genuinely address the concerns of lakhs of Delhi's parents.