Delhi School Fees 2025 Bill:
The Delhi government has taken a significant step to halt arbitrary fee hikes in private schools. The Delhi Cabinet has approved the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees, 2025 Bill. Education Minister Ashish Sood hailed this bill as historic, noting its impact on 1,677 aided and unaided schools in Delhi. Introduced within the first 65 days of the government's tenure, this bill underscores the administration's commitment to addressing parents' grievances.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, during a press conference, mentioned receiving numerous complaints from parents about school misconduct and arbitrary fee increases. In response, District Magistrates (DMs) were dispatched for school inspections, followed by audits.
Chief Minister Gupta stated, "We realized there were no clear procedures for scrutinizing the methods schools used to increase fees." She highlighted that the 1973 law had no clause to address this, complicating enforcement. To rectify this, the Delhi Cabinet greenlit a new bill to clearly define the roles of parents, schools, and the government in fee determination and increase cases.
Education Minister Ashish Sood shared ongoing concerns from parents about arbitrary fee hikes and mistreatment in schools. Initial notices to schools were temporary solutions. The new bill now provides a permanent solution to regulate fee hikes and ensure transparency.
Strict Oversight on Fee Hikes:
Should a school violate this bill's stipulations to increase fees, they will be disallowed from raising fees for the next three years.
Transparency and Timeliness:
The fee for the next academic year must be public by November, giving parents ample time to contest the fees.
Mandatory Committee Formation:
Schools must form a committee to decide fees, failing which fines between 1 lakh and 10 lakh rupees are levied. In severe cases, the school's accreditation may be revoked.
Penalties for Mistreating Children:
If schools implement punitive measures such as sending a child to the library, a fine of 50,000 rupees per child per day will be imposed. This doubles after 20 days and triples after 40 days. Persisting complaints could lead to revocation of school accreditation.
Directorate of Education's Authority:
According to Section 14, the Directorate of Education can automatically seize school accounts and documents.
This bill will be effective from April 1, 2026.
The Education Minister shared how the Chief Minister took parents' complaints seriously, leading to inspections and audits for dealing with school mistreatment of children. Based on these complaints, stringent provisions are included in the bill. Sood mentioned, "Previous administrations did not tackle this issue, unlike our government, which not only understood the problem but provided a timely solution."
Rekha Gupta stated in a press conference that the bill clearly defines the roles of parents, schools, and the government, ensuring transparency within Delhi's education sector.
This bill is a welcome relief for millions of Delhi parents troubled by arbitrary fees and mistreatment in private schools. The government claims the bill not only monitors fee hikes but also ensures accountability towards children in schools.
Recently, there have been numerous incidents of arbitrary fee increases in Delhi's private schools, prompting parents to protest. In September 2024, parents at Pritampura's Maharaja Agrasen Model School protested against an 18-20% annual fee hike and alleged that students who refused to pay were issued school leaving certificates.
Similarly, at Mayur Vihar's Vanasthali Public School, parents opposed a 100% fee hike. They claimed non-payment led to students' exclusion from classes. In April 2025, parents protested against fee hikes outside DPS Dwarka.
