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Delhi cabinet approves draft bill to regulate fees in private, government schools
Earlier this month, hundreds of parents protested outside the DoE office, demanding immediate rollback of recent fee hikes.
The Delhi Cabinet has approved the draft bill to regulate fees in private and government schools in the national capital, said chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday.
The Delhi government has taken a "bold and historic" step by approving the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025, Rekha Gupta said while addressing a press conference, reported PTI.
She also said that the action has been taken as there was “panic” among parents and alleged “harassment” of students in the name of fee hike.
"The previous governments in Delhi made no provision to prevent fee hike. There was no guideline to help government prevent fee hike by private schools," PTI quoted Rekha Gupta as saying.
The big move comes weeks after many parents across Delhi protested outside the Directorate of Education’s office, demanding immediate rollback of fee hikes. Following the protests, the DoE on April 16 announced that it has initiated action against unaided private schools found to be illegally hiking fees, including proceedings for de-recognition and possible takeover of school managements.
What Delhi education minister said
On the approval of the draft bill, Delhi’s education minister Ashish Sood told news agency PTI that it will be reviewed on 18 provisions before implementation and that school fees will be hiked in three years.
"The bill will be presented and passed soon. Parents, teachers, and management will be regulating the fees, we will be reviewing it on 18 provisions, and implementing it. The fees will be hiked in three years. Schools violating it will be taken over," he said.
He also said that the Bill proposes formation of a three-tier committees to regulate fee hikes.
After protests and mounting complaints by parents and students across the national capital, the Delhi government initiated a crackdown on schools that were accused of illegally imposing arbitrary and exorbitant fee hikes.
The hikes put a burden on the parents’ pockets, prompting them to demonstrate with placards that read “Stop fee hike, parents are not ATMs” and “Education is the right of every child”.
(With PTI inputs)
