NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has passed a draft bill to set guidelines for all private and government schools in the city to regulate school fee.
The bill, which was approved by the Rekha Gupta cabinet on Tuesday, seeks to establish a clear and transparent procedure for school fee structures, preventing arbitrary hikes and ensuring fairness for parents.
Education minister Ashish Sood, while announcing the passage of the bill, said, “Schools can’t increase fees arbitrarily. We issued show-cause notices to schools. Fees will be regulated transparently.”
The initiative follows growing concerns among parents about rising school fees, which led to protests and widespread frustration. Many parents accused the School Management Committees (SMCs) of mismanagement, as these bodies should have been addressing such issues. In response, the Directorate of Education (DoE) had recently announced the immediate dissolution of all existing SMCs in government and government-aided institutions across Delhi.
To replace the existing committees, fresh elections will be held on May 9 to reconstitute the SMCs. The election process will be overseen by a school-level election committee, led by the head of the school and supported by a teacher convener, according to a circular issued by the DoE.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta also expressed her support for the bill, stating, “I feel overjoyed to tell you that Delhi Government has made a historic and brave decision, and the draft bill has been passed by the cabinet today. A complete guideline, procedure for fees will be decided for all 1677 schools in Delhi, whether that is aided, non-aided, private and all kinds of schools. For the first time in history such a bill is being drafted by the Delhi Government which is foolproof.”
In addition to the bill, investigation committees, headed by subdivisional magistrates, were set up earlier this month to audit private schools in the city, following complaints of unjustified fee hikes.
The education department has also launched an official email address, ddeact1@gmail.com, under the supervision of the deputy director of education, for parents to report grievances. Parents can also lodge complaints at DoE offices.
(With agency inputs)
