Delhi Approves Bill To Regulate Fee Hike In Private, Govt Schools Amid Complaints

The Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees 2025 Bill was approved during a meeting chaired by CM Rekha Gupta and will be applicable on 1,677 schools in the city.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during the launch of the Heat Action Plan 2025 of the Delhi government in New Delhi.

Source : PTI

The Delhi government, in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, on Tuesday approved a bill to regulate the fees in private and government schools in the capital. 

The Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees 2025 Bill was approved during a meeting chaired by CM Rekha Gupta and will be applicable on 1,677 schools in the city.

"The government has taken a bold and historic step by approving the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025," the CM said while addressing a press conference after the meeting. 

Gupta said that the schools will face strict penalties from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for non-compliance of the government's directives.  

Gupta said that the issue of "arbitrary" hikes was discussed widely in recent days and there was panic among the parents due to activities of some schools and complaints regarding harassment of students in the name of fee hike. 

The chief minister, who termed the move bold and historic, said that the BJP government will call an urgent session of the Delhi Assembly to pass the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025. 

The chief minister said that the previous governments in the capital made no provision to prevent fee hike and there was no guideline to help government prevent fee hike by private schools. She said that the move will bring much-needed transparency and structure to the process of determining school fees and protect parents from unregulated hikes.

Education minister Ashish Sood said that the Bill proposes formation of a three-tier committees to regulate fee hikes. 

The panels will decide on fees for three years, based on the school infrastructure, the minister said. 

He further said that school teachers and parents will be involved in the decision-making process. He added that a 10-member committee will be formed at the district level. 

Earlier this month, CM Rekha Gupta said that notices were issued to schools over complaints of "arbitrary fee hikes". She also inspected 600 private schools in the city following complaints of unregulated fee hikes.