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India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
Delhi brings new law to regulate private school fee hikes. Explained
The Delhi government has tabled the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025 in a move to curb unregulated fee hikes in private unaided decision follows prolonged protests from parents across the capital over sudden and steep increases in school the bill 'historic', the Delhi government has said it is a much-needed step towards accountability and fairness in school fee The legislation will apply to all 1,677 private unaided schools in Delhi, including institutions built on private land and those run by minority groups, which previously operated with limited regulatory THREE-TIER REGULATORY SYSTEM INTRODUCEDThe bill introduces a structured mechanism to determine fee revisions. At the base level, every school must set up a School-Level Fee Regulation Committee, comprising representatives from school management, teaching staff, and randomly selected body will assess and approve proposed fee hikes of up to 15% annually, based on transparent criteria such as employee salaries, infrastructure costs, and demographic disputes arise at this level, they can be escalated to a District Fee Appellate Committee led by the local Deputy Director of unresolved or further contested issues, the matter can be taken to the State-Level Revision Committee, chaired by an independent education expert. Decisions made at this level will be binding for a period of three DEADLINES AND PENALTIES OUTLINEDAccording to the bill, schools must submit their proposed fee hikes by July 31 each decisions are expected by will attract penalties ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. In cases where schools do not refund overcharged fees on time, the fines will double. Repeated violations could even lead to derecognition or a government takeover of the AND CONCERNS FROM PARENT GROUPSDespite the government's strong defence of the bill, it has drawn criticism from several quarters.A key concern is the requirement that complaints must be filed by at least 15% of affected parents, which may discourage individual grievances from being also point out that allowing schools to raise fees by up to 15% each year, even with conditions, essentially legalises steep annual hikes instead of limiting them more strictly. The bill has also been faulted for not mandating independent financial audits of schools, a loophole that could weaken contentious clause is the retroactive implementation of the law from April 1, 2025. This could potentially validate earlier fee increases by schools before the law was in DEFENDS THE MOVEDelhi Education Minister Ashish Sood has backed the legislation, calling it 'the most democratic bill ever introduced' in the context of school fee gives parents a direct role in the decision-making process,' he said, adding that the bill ensures transparency and protects families from arbitrary fee the new law moves forward, much will depend on its execution and the participation of stakeholders across the system.- Ends
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Govt. to table private school fee Bill in Monsoon Session: CM
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday said the Delhi government will table a Bill to regulate fee hikes by private schools during the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Assembly, beginning August 4. Amid ongoing protests by parents, the Delhi government had earlier approved a draft of the Bill and proposed bringing an Ordinance, since the Assembly was not in session. Now, it has decided to table the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025. 'The Delhi government will table the Bill to regulate fee hikes by private schools in the Monsoon Session of Assembly beginning from August 4,' Ms. Gupta said while addressing the media. The parents' groups, while pointing out issues in the Bill, said that they will send their detailed suggestions to the government on Sunday. Three-level checks A three-level verification will be implemented to regulate fee hikes, according to the Bill seen by The Hindu. First, schools will form an 11-member committee comprising the school management – a management representative and principal – three teachers, five parents from the parent-teacher association, selected by a draw of lots, and a nominee of the Directorate of Education (DoE). A District Fee Appellate Committee will hear appeals against the decisions taken by school-level committees. A similar procedure will be followed with a State-level revision committee, which will be the highest appellate authority. An aggrieved parents' group, which the Bill describes as 15% of the total strength of parents in an affected school, may appeal to the District Fee Appellate Committee within 30 days from the time the fees are approved, against the decisions of school-level committees. The Bill also specifies that if a school is found levying a fee that is not determined in the provisions of the Act, the DoE will direct the school to roll back the fee and refund the excess amount to the parents. The penalty for violators can range between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh. Meanwhile, a fine of ₹50,000 will be levied on schools for harassing students over delayed payment of fees. The Bill also mentions the 10 factors that will determine the fee structure, including the location of the school, infrastructure made available, the education standardof schools, and a reasonable revenue surplus as may be prescribed. Divya Mattey, a parent of a student who studies in Delhi Public School, Dwarka, said, 'It will be difficult to get a minimum of 15% of the parent body to raise a question.' Mr. Mattey said that parents have noted that the penalties might not affect bigger schools, for whom '₹50,000 might be a small amount'. AAP, BJP at odds Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi State president Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Bill, saying, 'Until now, even under the 1973 law, if a single parent felt that fees had been unfairly hiked, they could file a complaint with the DoE. Now, that has been scrapped. Under the new law, you'll need a minimum of 15% of parents to raise a complaint. In a school with 3,000 students, that means identifying 450 parents – a near-impossible task.' Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said, 'It would have been better if Saurabh Bharadwaj had waited until the Bill was tabled in the upcoming session before commenting on it.'
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Delhi govt set to table draft Bill to regulate school fee. Here's why parents groups oppose it
Amid criticism from parents and Opposition, the Delhi government is set to table the draft Bill to regulate fees in private schools in the Assembly as the Monsoon Session starts August 4. The Bill, however, has drawn criticism from parents and activists, who say the proposed framework lacks transparency and gives disproportionate control to school managements. The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, has been circulated to members of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, with copies in Hindi and English versions, according to the Legislative Assembly Secretariat's circular dated August 1. 'The Delhi government will table the Bill to regulate fee hike by private schools, in the Monsoon session of Assembly beginning from August 4,' Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told reporters on Saturday. The 13-page Bill outlines a new system to govern how private schools in the National Capital Territory fix and revise fees. The stated aim is to prevent profiteering in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. Violations by schools such as charging unapproved fees could attract penalties ranging from Rs 1 to 10 lakh, with provisions for refund of excess fees within 20 working days. The Bill also prohibits coercive practices like striking names off rolls or withholding exam results over non-payment. Every such violation carries a Rs 50,000 penalty per student. Every private unaided school, the Bill mandates, must form a School Level Fee Regulation Committee each year by July 15. This committee is to include the school principal, a nominee of the school management, three teachers and five parents drawn by lottery from the Parent-Teacher Association, and a nominee from the Directorate of Education. The school management will propose a fee structure for a block of three academic years, which the committee must review and approve by September 15. If the committee fails to decide the fees within the timeline, the matter is referred to a District Fee Appellate Committee, which includes education officials, a chartered accountant, two school representatives, and two parent members. Further appeals may be taken to a Revision Committee constituted by the government A key concern among parents is the provision that only a group comprising at least 15% of total parents in the affected class or school may file an appeal before the District Fee Appellate Committee. This Clause, defined under Section 2 of the Bill, raises the threshold for raising grievances and has been widely criticised. Groups such as the Forum for Indian Parents have also said that the Bill allows schools to dominate the regulatory process by controlling the selection of committee members and framing fee components with minimal oversight. It also raised concerns about the absence of provisions for audits, the selection of parent and teacher members through internal processes, and the broad language of Section 8 that allows inclusion of all forms of surplus and capital expenditure, including litigation costs and penalties, as fee components. 'The BJP-led Delhi government has colluded with private schools, effectively handcuffing Delhi's parents through the 15% clause,' alleged Mahesh Mishra, a parent at DPS Dwarka and a member of a Delhi-based parents' group. 'There is no provision for Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audits, which is essential for financial accountability.' The Bill outlines a broad set of heads under Section 8 that schools can factor into their fee proposals, including infrastructure, staff salaries, 'reasonable revenue surplus', and 'capital expenditure'. Critics have argued that this opens the door for schools to include luxury expenses and litigation costs as part of the fee burden on parents. The Forum added that the Bill weakens existing provisions requiring prior approval from the DoE for fee changes in schools situated on government land. Under the proposed system, approval rests with school-level committees, which they argue can be influenced by the management. 'This Bill is not just anti-parent,' Mishra said, 'it's a direct attack on the middle class and will make quality education even more inaccessible.' Lawyer and child rights activist Ashok Agarwal echoed similar concerns. 'The Bill is totally confusing and unworkable. So many layers of committees means no end to controversies and litigations,' he posted on X. Ahead of the start of the Monsoon session, AAP Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj has also slammed the Bill as a 'bonanza for private schools' and a 'direct assault on parents,' alleging that it empowers school managements while silencing dissent. 'When even one parent could earlier raise concerns, why create a threshold of 450 parents in a school of 3,000?' Bharadwaj asked, while flagging the removal of the audit provision, despite earlier government claims of auditing private schools. The Monsoon Session will be the third session of the Delhi Assembly under the Rekha Gupta-led government.
