How is Delhi Cabinet Planning to Regulate Private School Fees?

New Delhi, April 29 (NationPress) In a decisive action aimed at addressing issues related to private schools, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday sanctioned a draft legislation designed to regulate fee increments and impose penalties on institutions that do not adhere to the education department's directives against unwarranted fee hikes.

Describing this as a landmark decision, CM Gupta informed journalists, “The draft bill recommended by the Delhi Cabinet will empower the government to manage fee increases in 1,677 private schools.”

She further elaborated that this legislation will extend to aided schools, offering much-needed relief to parents who frequently report mistreatment by school authorities.

“The draft bill outlines the complete process and guidelines for setting fees and details the responsibilities of various parties involved, including school managements, the education directorate, and parents,” she stated.

Education Minister Ashish Sood told IANS, "Today, our cabinet reached a decision concerning fee regulation. The government will now possess the authority to instruct institutions to either lower or raise fees.”

“The Bill grants the government the ability to take action against schools that fail to comply,” he suggested, indicating that the regulations could be implemented in the ongoing academic session.

Previously, in a press conference, CM Gupta mentioned that district magistrates were dispatched to engage with parents who reported being mistreated by school administrations.

“The District Magistrates submitted their findings after conversing with parents and conducting an audit to understand the processes used for fee increments,” said CM Gupta.

She highlighted the significance of this Cabinet decision, noting that previous administrations had not made any attempts to establish a legal framework allowing the Delhi government to issue directives against fee increases in private schools.

“The draft legislation aims to eliminate confusion,” she added, noting that the only reference to fees in the Delhi School Act, 1973, is found in Section 17 (3), which does not grant the government the authority to dictate the fees that an institution may charge.

According to Section 17(3) of the Act, the responsibility for setting fees lies with the school manager, who only addresses limitations on the collection of additional charges under other headings.

The Section 17(3) states, “The manager of every recognized school shall, prior to the start of each academic session, submit a complete statement of the fees to be collected by such school during the upcoming academic session, and without the prior approval of the Director, no such school shall charge any fee greater than the one indicated by its manager in the statement.”