AAP raises alarm over Delhi School Fee Regulation Bill

Hans India

3 days ago

New Delhi: The Delhi government's newly introduced School Fee Regulation Bill has triggered sharp criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with the party accusing the administration of siding with private school managements and ignoring the concerns of parents.
The bill, tabled in the Delhi Assembly, aims to regulate fee hikes in private schools across the capital. However, AAP legislators, led by Opposition Leader Atishi, argue that the bill is fundamentally flawed and demands urgent amendments before it is passed.
Atishi alleged that the bill had been drafted to benefit private school owners rather than serve the interests of students and parents. 'The structure of the fee regulation committee is problematic. It is led by members of the school management, and only five parent representatives are included, cho-sen through a draw of slips,' she said. AAP has proposed an amendment to Section 4 of the bill, demanding that the number of parent representatives be increased to ten. Additionally, they insist that these members be elected through a general body election of parents rather than random selection.Atishi added that the MLA from Bu-rari has officially requested that the bill be sent to a Select Committee, so that parents' perspectives can be properly incorporated into the legislative process.
Highlighting the persistent rise in private school fees, Atishi accused the BJP of failing to act on the issue. She stated that the AAP Legislative Party has proposed a fee freeze,schools should not be al-lowed to charge more than their 2024–25 academic year fees until their accounts have been audit-ed.
Under AAP's proposal, all private schools would be required to submit their previous year's financial records for audit by a regulatory committee. These audited reports would then be shared with par-ents, who would have 15 days to submit feedback. Only after this feedback process would the committee be allowed to make fee-related decisions.
'The BJP's reluctance to audit school accounts raises questions about transparency. Without proper audits, there is no accountability,' she said.
AAP also raised concerns about restrictive provisions in the bill that hinder parents' ability to file complaints. As it stands, the bill mandates that a complaint can only be considered if it has the signa-tures of at least 15 percent of all parents in the school. Atishi called this clause undemocratic and unworkable, especially for smaller groups of concerned parents. 'We have demanded an amend-ment so that if even 15 parents submit a complaint, it must be addressed,' she said.
Moreover, AAP expressed alarm over a clause that removes the right of parents to challenge the fee committee's decision in court. According to the bill, once the committee delivers its verdict, parents would be barred from seeking judicial review.