Delhi Cabinet approves draft bill to regulate fees in private, govt schools

Earlier this month, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had stated that her government is committed to transparency and protection of children's rights in education

The Delhi Cabinet has approved a draft bill to regulate fees in private and government schools.  The decision was made in the wake of rising frustration among parents over steep hikes in school fees across the national capital. Once tabled and passed in the Delhi Assembly, the bill will come into law and enforce regulations on fee structures of private and government schools.

 

So far, there has been no legislation in Delhi to regulate how private schools determine or hike their fees.

 

The bill was approved in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Delhi’s education minister Ashish Sood said that the bill proposes the formation of a three-tier committee to regulate fee hikes.

 

“The previous governments in Delhi made no provision to prevent fee hikes. There was no guideline to help the government prevent fee hikes by private schools,” Gupta said at a press conference after the announcement of the decision.

 

Earlier, the Delhi education department had issued showcause notices to 11 private schools over fee increases and has also received complaints about the practice of dummy schooling in several unaided private institutions. Officials stated that about 20 such schools have been identified, and separate action will be taken against them.

 

This development took place after the chief minister received a complaint about a private school in Model Town allegedly increasing fees by a huge margin and expelling students for not paying the required sum.

 

Following this, Gupta had stated that her government is committed to transparency and protection of children's rights in education. Gupta also said that these schools have been asked to respond, failing which strict action will be taken against them. "No school has the right to harass parents over fees or remove students unfairly,” Gupta had asserted.

 

She had mentioned that all schools are expected to follow set rules and regulations, and any violation will result in action.