6 days ago
Delhi Chief Minister backs bill to control private school fees and boost accountability
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday announced that the Delhi School Education (Fee Determination and Transparency in Regulation) Bill, 2025, passed a day earlier in the Assembly, will curb arbitrary fee hikes in private schools and ensure at a press conference, Gupta said the Bill applies to all 1,733 private schools in Delhi, including nearly 300 institutions that received land at concessional rates from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). She said the legislation is aimed at protecting parents from sudden and unexplained fee increases, while also ensuring schools remain accountable in their financial the new law, the Director of Education will have powers similar to those of a sub-divisional magistrate to act against violations. Measures include freezing bank accounts and attaching property of schools found breaching the norms.
Fines for unauthorised fee hikes will range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, with penalties doubling if payments are Bill requires schools to justify any proposed fee hike by presenting evidence related to location, infrastructure, operational expenditure, and teaching will have the authority to approve or reject these proposals, giving them direct influence in the decision-making process.'This Bill is a shield for the dreams of Delhi's children,' Gupta said. 'No one will be allowed to put a price on their aspirations.'Gupta stated that the draft was prepared after consulting education experts and parent groups. She said the intent was to create a balance between safeguarding parental interests and allowing schools to maintain their operations the previous AAP government and earlier administrations, Gupta alleged that neither AAP nor Congress took concrete steps to regulate school fees in the past 27 years. 'If education was really your priority, why didn't you bring a legal framework earlier?' she legislation also brings schools under stricter scrutiny regardless of their land allotment history. Authorities will have the mandate to inspect records and accounts to ensure Delhi government expects the law to address longstanding complaints from parents about steep annual hikes, especially in schools located in prime areas. The next step will involve framing rules for the Bill's implementation and setting up mechanisms for parents to file now, the government maintains that the law is designed to bring both transparency and accountability into a sector where financial decisions have often gone unchecked.- Ends
