BJP backs school fee Bill, AAP seeks House scrutiny

The Hindu

a day ago

The Hindu Bureau
The Delhi Assembly on Tuesday saw a heated discussion on the School Education (Fee Regulation and Transparency) Bill, 2025, with the Opposition demanding that it be sent to a Select Committee to incorporate feedback from parents and other stakeholders.
The debate came a day after Education Minister Ashish Sood tabled the Bill, which aims to regulate fee hikes in private schools. BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay lauded it as a 'revolutionary step' in Delhi's education history, while party colleague Ajay Kumar Mahawar said, 'With this Bill, CM Rekha Gupta is wiping away the tears of lakhs of parents.'
However, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Prem Chauhan criticised the composition of the proposed fee regulation committees, pointing out that six out of 11 members would be from the school, potentially compromising impartiality. 'There should have been more parents than administrators,' he said, cautioning that the multilayered redress process could result in delayed justice. 'By the time a complaint is addressed, the child may have already passed out or left the school,' Mr. Chauhan said.
He reiterated AAP's demand to refer the Bill to a Select Committee with members from both the BJP and AAP, and called for a freeze on fees for the current academic year, citing delays in the Bill's introduction. Responding to the Opposition, BJP MLA Mohan Singh Bisht said public turnout and support for the Bill demonstrated its urgency and relevance.
Parent protests
While the Assembly debated the Bill, some parent groups held protests and submitted their recommendations to Mr. Sood. One key demand of the protesters was that any parent, not just 15% of them, should be allowed to raise an issue with the district-level committee.
On fee-related clauses, parents objected to subjective criteria such as the school's location and educational standard. They demanded a uniform fee structure and standardised fee heads across all schools to avoid ambiguity.
'False narratives'
The Education Minister's office said he had met parents ahead of the Assembly debate and dismissed AAP's criticism as 'false narratives'. He clarified that the Bill supplements the Delhi School Education Act, 1973, by introducing stronger checks and balances to protect students and parents. The Minister assured that the Bill provides for three layers of oversight and includes penalties for violations.