Parents assembled at Jantar Mantar over private school fee hikes, seek reforms

Indian Express

20-07-2025

Hundreds of parents assembled at the Jantar Mantar here on Saturday under the banner of United Parents' Voice (UPV), protesting against alleged arbitrary fee hikes, demanding greater financial transparency and accountability in the private education sector.
Parents said their repeated appeals to authorities had gone unanswered, compelling them to take to the streets once again, a statement from UPV (a parent group) said.
The protest followed an earlier attempt to engage with the Delhi government on June 30 when a group of parents waited for more than three hours to meet Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
While a small delegation was granted a brief meeting and assured of further dialogue, they said no follow-up communication was received despite formal reminders, it added.
Parents submitted a detailed memorandum addressed to the lieutenant governor, chief minister and education minister, reiterating concerns over unapproved fee hikes, alleged misuse of school funds and violations of student rights.
They also expressed their opposition to the recently passed Fee Regulation Ordinance, 2025, which they claimed was enacted without adequate public consultation.
The memorandum called for a rollback of unratified fee increases, independent audits by the comptroller and auditor general and forensic experts and government-supervised elections for parent-teacher associations to ensure more inclusive school governance, the statement said.
It also urged authorities to act against schools that allegedly shame or penalise students over fee issues, a practice parents said violates the right to education under Article 21A of the Constitution.
The protesting parents further demanded that schools be mandated to follow a monthly fee collection system, citing the financial strain caused by advance lump-sum payments.
They also advocated for infrastructure procurement through the government e-marketplace (GeM) portal to ensure cost-effective and transparent spending. According to the statement, another key demand was the public disclosure of fee structures approved by the Directorate of Education on both government and school websites.
Rahul Gupta, a parent and member of UPV said the protest was an outcome of continued silence from the administration.
'We have tried all channels, emails, meetings, even written representations to the highest offices. Today's gathering is a collective call for fairness and dignity in our children's education,' he said.
The group said that their concerns had also been communicated earlier through email and speed post to the president, prime minister, and union home minister, seeking urgent intervention.
UPV reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful civic action and appealed to the government to initiate an open dialogue with parents.