Latest news with #DelhiSchoolEducationTransparencyBill
Hans India
4 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Parents' delegation meets LoP Atish
New Delhi: A delegation of parents representing students from over 70 private schools in Delhi met Leader of Opposition Atishi on Wednesday to express concerns over the proposed Delhi Fee Regulation Bill, 2025. The group, part of the United Parents Voice (UPV) an umbrella body, highlighted several challenges faced by students and parents, including alleged instances of mental distress caused by fee-related matters, lack of consultation in policy-making, and the need for transparency in school fee structures, according to a statement. Some students have faced difficulties such as being removed from school rolls, denied access to classes or excluded from school communication channels due to unresolved fee issues. In certain cases, they claimed academic results were withheld, leading to emotional stress among children. The delegation also said that the drafting of the Delhi Fee Regulation Bill did not include inputs from parent associations, despite parents being key stakeholders in the education process, it stated. Speaking after the meeting, Atishi assured the delegation of her support. 'We will raise this issue through all available platforms, including the Assembly and the media,' she said, emphasising the need for a transparent and participatory approach to education reforms. Atishi said that the Aam Aadmi Party has long supported people-centric causes and would continue to stand with parents and students. The delegation submitted a list of key demands, which include a temporary suspension of the proposed Bill and ordinance, a minimum 30-day public consultation period, rollback of unapproved fee hikes since 2019, and strict enforcement of existing guidelines issued by the Directorate of Education. Earlier in the day, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood in a press conference presenting the report of 100 days of work said, 'The newly introduced Delhi School Education Transparency Bill has curbed arbitrary practices in private schools. Parents can no longer be forced to buy uniforms or books from specific shops.' 'For 27 years, private schools went unchecked, but our government has taken strict steps to ensure transparency,' Sood said.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ashish Sood announces INR 417 crore grant for DU colleges and unveils new education initiatives
NEW DELHI: With the BJP-led Delhi government completing 100 days in office, Cabinet minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday listed out the achievements of the departments under him, including releasing grant-in-aid of Rs 417 crore to 12 Delhi University colleges to introducing AI-based learning in government schools and announcing a fee regulation bill. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Addressing a press conference, Sood, whose portfolios include education, home, power, and urban development, said, "Delhi government has released Rs 275 crore as the first instalment of funding to 12 fully state-funded Delhi University colleges, ensuring timely salaries and operational support. "The previous government did not release grants to DU where students from middle-class families study. But we released the money on April 1," Sood said. Under the CM Digital Education Scheme, 1,200 students have received laptops, while a long-pending scholarship backlog has been cleared with the release of Rs 19 crore to 1,300 students from low-income families, the minister said. Stating that free online coaching for NEET and CUET has been launched in partnership with MSTC and edtech platforms such as Physics Wallah, Sood said, "This step is meant for those students who cannot afford expensive coaching." To bring more accountability in private education, the Delhi School Education Transparency Bill has been introduced, which prohibits private schools from forcing parents to buy books and uniforms from designated shops - a practice that went unchecked for decades, the minister said. Sood also said that reforms in the EWS (economically weaker section) admission process have ensured fairness, preventing misuse of the quota. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now So far, 28,000 children have secured seats in schools, and a draw for the remaining 9,800 will be held on July 1, he said. The minister also said that the government is establishing 75 CM Shri Schools featuring AI-based learning, smart classrooms, and training in data science and robotics, for which a special allocation of Rs 100 crore has been made. The government will set up Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Language Labs in 100 schools to teach foreign languages such as French and German, while 250 schools will have digital libraries, he said. Shifting focus to urban development, Sood reaffirmed the government's commitment that no slum will be demolished in Delhi. He said the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has been allocated a record Rs 700 crore to improve the living conditions in the slum areas by building better roads and toilets, and by ensuring electricity and water supply. According to Sood, 2,500 homes built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, which were left unoccupied due to political reasons, are now being restored and made livable with a budget of Rs 43 crore. Referring to the Madarasi Camp case currently pending before the Delhi High Court, Sood said relocation was essential to prevent urban flooding, and of the 370 families, 215 have already been resettled in Narela. He also criticised the previous administration for "mishandling" the issue and failing to relocate people with dignity. On the power front, the minister claimed electricity supply has improved significantly in the capital. From February to May, the number of power cuts lasting over 30 minutes dropped to 1,946 - down from over 2,000 in previous years, he said. Sood also said that subsidies under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana have been increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 30,000, making rooftop solar systems more affordable. Talking about law and order, the minister said that forensic investigation has been made mandatory in all serious cases, while mobile forensic labs are being introduced for quicker response. The government is also adding 100 new fire tenders for the high-density areas to improve emergency services, Sood said. Speaking on the controversy surrounding a fee hike in Delhi Public School (DPS), Sood accused AAP leaders of shielding 'fee mafias' and cited past protests by the parents. "The matter is in court, yet some people are trying to cover up these practices. But we will not let them succeed," he said. "Guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and inspired by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's principle of Antyodaya, our mission is to serve the last person (in the queue). And these 100 days are just the beginning," Sood added.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Delhi govt to bring ordinance to control arbitrary hike in school fees: Education Minister Ashish Sood
Education Minister Ashish Sood said Wednesday that the Delhi Government will bring an ordinance to implement the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, to control arbitrary fee hikes by private schools. The announcement was made as the government completed 100 days under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Previously, the Bill was scheduled to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly during a session on May 14-15. 'We will introduce the Delhi School Education Transparency Bill, which could not be tabled in the last Assembly session… we are bringing an ordinance to turn it into law to end the exploitation by schools. This has greatly upset those who have supported the school mafia for the past 27 years.' Sood claimed that '…school fees went up every year. But in our 100 days, not a single school increased its fees.' The minister also played video reports by various news outlets showing parents protesting against fee hikes at Delhi Public School (DPS), Dwarka. 'The issue of fee hikes is not new. These protests have been happening since 2021, even earlier — and yet the previous AAP government did nothing,' Sood said. 'Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal have gone and hidden in Punjab and did nothing on this… It was the time of COVID. Arvind Kejriwal was busy building the 'sheesh mahal' and now the AAP is blaming our CM Rekha Gupta-led government,' Sood said. 'I want to ask them why didn't they stop it? We are the ones who sent the DM committee to schools. It is because of our report that the high court issued stringent orders,' he added. Along with this, Sood also listed several education-related steps taken by the government in the last 100 days. He said the government is focusing on improving both school and higher education, especially for students from poor economic backgrounds. 'For EWS (Economically Weaker Section) admissions, I say with full confidence that this year, not a single complaint has emerged from Delhi. Last year, the Opposition had handed out EWS admissions…in households, without transparency. This year, with the push of a button, 28,000 children received EWS admission letters. Soon, 38,000 children will get final admissions,' said Sood. 'From digital libraries to AI-enabled smart classrooms, we are investing in students from every background, ensuring no child is left behind,' he said. One of the major moves has been the release of Rs 274.34 crore as grant-in-aid to 12 Delhi University colleges and all state universities, according to the minister who added that this helped clear pending salaries and ended the uncertainty faced by teachers and staff. In technical education, Rs. 19 crore was given in scholarships to over 1,300 students from low-income families (earning less than Rs 3 lakh per year). These scholarships had been on hold since 2022. The government has also partnered with Physics Wallah and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide free online coaching for NEET and CUET-UG. So far, over 23,000 students from Delhi government schools have joined these classes — including 3,458 for NEET and 19,756 for CUET, the minister said. Sood said the Cabinet has approved the setting up of 75 new 'CM Shri Schools' at a budget of Rs 100 crore. These schools will have smart classrooms, AR/VR labs, AI-based learning, and courses in Data Science and Robotics. He said the government is also planning to set up digital libraries in Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Schools of Excellence. Around 250 school libraries are being digitised, and 100 AI-enabled language labs will be created to help students learn English, French, German, and Spanish, he said. To support digital learning, 1,200 laptops will be given to meritorious students scoring above 90 per cent in 20 government schools by September. These students were chosen under the Mukhyamantri Digital Education Scheme. Under the Madan Mohan Malviya Vidya Shakti Mission, 2,200 students will receive help to prepare for exams like NEET, JEE, CLAT, CA, and CUET, he added. The government has also increased school uniform subsidies. Now, government school students will get Rs 1,250 for nursery to Class 5 (earlier it was Rs 1,100), Rs 1,500 for classes 6 to 8 (from Rs 1,400 earlier), and Rs 1,700 for classes 9 to 12 (from Rs 1,500). Meanwhile, a separate meeting was held between the parents' association United Parents Voice (UPV) and Leader of Opposition Atishi, wherein parents from around 50 private schools raised concerns about the ordinance and shared cases of alleged harassment and discrimination by schools. They said the Bill was introduced without consulting parents.
