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Time of India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi Assembly to regulate private school fee hikes with new bill
New Delhi: A bill aimed at regulating private school fee hikes in Delhi is expected to be passed during the special session of the Delhi Assembly scheduled for May 13–14. The decision was taken after a BJP legislators' meeting at the Delhi secretariat on Sunday to discuss key urban issues. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Delhi govt recently passed a draft bill to set guidelines for all private and govt schools in the city to regulate school fees. The bill, approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, seeks to establish a clear and transparent procedure for fee structure, preventing arbitrary hikes and ensuring fairness for parents. Once the bill becomes an act, schools raising fees without permission will face fines of up to Rs 10 lakh, and their recognition could be revoked, according to the draft. A fee regulation committee will be formed in every school, giving parents direct decision-making power. A three-tier committee system will be implemented for appeals regarding fee disputes, with committees formed at the school, district, and state level. BJP MLA Ravinder Singh Negi said, "A special session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly is being convened, during which several important bills related to Delhi's development will be discussed. That is why this session has been called. Some bills may be related to education, and others could address issues like waterlogging with the monsoon. Although the specifics have not yet been disclosed, it has been informed that the Assembly session will take place on the 13 and 14," he said. BJP MLA Shikha Rai said: "All the MLAs were given direction to take all the schemes to the people. A new bill regarding reforms in school education is being brought, as we have seen uncontrolled hikes in school fees." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay said, "We had a meeting regarding different schemes that all the MLAs have been instructed to take to the people... There is a bill regarding the uncontrolled fee hikes in Delhi schools. We are not against the schools, but we want to help parents... The efforts regarding the waterlogging issues are ongoing, and we will ensure that the national capital doesn't face this issue." The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) draft bill of 2025 advocates the establishment of school-level fee regulation committees, district fee appellate committees, and a revision committee to oversee fee structures and address grievances. It also states that there should be representation of all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and members from Scheduled Castes, backward classes, and women, in the school-level fee regulation committees. The bill mandates the selection of parent and teacher representatives by a draw of lots and decision-making by majority vote within committees. It bars schools from taking coercive action against students for non-payment of fees, such as striking off names from rolls, withholding examination results, denying access to classes or activities, or subjecting students to public humiliation or psychological harassment.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Cabinet clears draft Bill to regulate fees in pvt. schools
The Hindu Bureau NEW DELHI The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft Bill to regulate fees in private schools in the national capital, Chief Minister Rekha Guptaand Education Minister Ashish Sood announced, amid growing complaints from parents about 'arbitrary' fee hikes. The Bill, aimed at preventing arbitrary fee increases starting next academic session, stipulates the formation of three committees — at the school, district, and State levels — to regulate hikes. Schools found increasing fees without approval will face penalties ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh. This development follows recent protests by parents of students in various private schools, alleging unjustified fee hikes. In Delhi Public School (DPS), Dwarka, which was at the centre of the controversy, fee defaulters were reportedly made to sit in the library and denied entry to classrooms. The government has included penalties for such 'coercive action'. The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Draft Bill, 2025, aims to ensure transparency and regulation in the process of increasing fees. It includes a provision for fines of ₹50,000 per student for 'coercive' practices such as isolating defaulters, Mr. Sood said. The earlier Delhi School Education Act, 1973 did not contain such clauses. 'Parents have been constantly struggling with fee hikes. We cracked down on it and sent DM-led committees to schools. The Delhi government has now undertaken the historicpassing of a Bill that will regulate fee hikes in 1,677 schools, whether private, aided, or unaided,' Ms. Gupta said. Three-level checks A school-level committee will include a management representative, principal, three teachers, five parents selected by lottery, and a nominee of the Directorate of Education (DoE). The district-level Fee Appellate Committee will include DoE officials, a chartered accountant, an accounts official, two teacher representatives, and two parent representatives. If over 15% of parents are dissatisfied with the school-level decision, they may escalate their complaint to the district-level committee. At the State level, a Revision Committee comprisingofficials, an eminent education expert, a chartered accountant, and representatives from schools and parents will serve as the final appellate body. Its decisions will be binding for three academic years. 'By October, decisions on school fees will be made, ensuring parents have clarity before the next session. No school will be able to raise fees arbitrarily,' said Mr. Sood. AAP slams BJP The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) criticisedthe move, claiming it enables collusion with schools and makes it difficult for parents to file complaints unless they have support from 15% of the parent body. 'Have you rolled back fees at even one school? Have you penalised DPS Dwarka? Not one rollback. You've pushed everything to next year,' said AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Draft bill to rein in schools on fee hike, monitor finances, ensure accountability
New Delhi: Delhi govt has passed a draft bill to set guidelines for all private and govt schools in the city to regulate school fees . The bill, approved by the Delhi cabinet on Tuesday, seeks to establish a clear and transparent procedure for school fee structures, preventing arbitrary hikes and ensuring fairness for parents. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Once the bill becomes an Act, schools raising fees without permission will face fines up to Rs 10 lakh and their recognition could also be revoked, as per the draft. A fee regulation committee will be formed in every school, giving parents direct decision-making power, said chief minister Rekha Gupta. A three-tier committee system will be implemented for appeals regarding fee disputes, with committees formed at the school, district and state levels. The decision was taken after several parents raised the issue of arbitrary fee hikes by schools during meetings with Gupta. The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill Draft, 2025, advocates the establishment of school-level fee regulation committees, district fee appellate committees and a revision committee to oversee fee structures and address grievances. It also states that there should be representation of all stakeholders, including parents, teachers and members from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and women, in the school-level fee regulation committees. The bill mandates the selection of parent and teacher representatives by draw of lots and decision-making by majority vote within committees. It bars schools from taking coercive action against students for non-payment of fees, such as striking off names from rolls, withholding examination results, denying access to classes or activities, or subjecting students to public humiliation or psychological harassment. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Gupta said that Delhi govt's primary goal is to ensure that every child has access to modern, quality education. "There have been complaints from parents and students about arbitrary fee hikes and the expulsion of children from schools. It was reported that school managements were not only charging arbitrary fees, but also harassing students who could not pay, threatening to expel them," she said. The chief minister pointed out that while the issue has been ongoing for years, no govt previously implemented a concrete policy to control hikes in school fees. "For the first time, the 1,677 private schools in Delhi will be governed by legally regulated fee guidelines," she said. Officials said the bill would be passed in the upcoming monsoon session. Education minister Ashish Sood said coercive action will be taken, ranging from fines to more serious legal action if the violations are more severe. Criticising the previous AAP govt, he said, "They made a law to give a bottle free with another bottle. We made a law to give justice to the parents and students. It has been going on for decades, and we brought a law within 60 days." Meanwhile, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said the new bill proved BJP govt was "hand in glove" with private school managements. "It makes it impossible for parents to complain unless they gather 15% of parents; this is a tool to crush parents' voices," he said. The bill was aimed at shielding private schools and silencing parents, Bharadwaj said, adding that BJP govt had betrayed Delhi's middle class within 65 days of gaining power. "They've replaced elected PTA members with handpicked ones," he claimed.
