Cabinet drafts bill to regulate school fees

The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill 2025—a legislation that chief minister Rekha Gupta called a "bold and historic" attempt to rein in arbitrary fee hikes by private schools.

- Alok KN Mishra and Varun Bhandari

NEW DELHI:

The proposed law, a copy of which was accessed by HT, will be applicable to all 1,677 private unaided schools in Delhi and introduces three major reforms in the city's fee regulation regime.

First, it envisages a three-tier fee regulation structure involving committees at the school, district, and state levels, which will institutionalise parental participation in the process.

"Each school will now have a School-Level Fee Regulation Committee comprising parents, giving them direct decision-making power. District- and state-level committees will handle appeals and ensure fairness," Gupta said.

The second reform introduces stiff penalties for non-compliance. Schools found violating the provisions—such as raising fees without approval—can be fined between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh. Repeat offenders could lose government recognition altogether.

"For too long, private schools raised fees at will. This bill ends that. No one will be allowed to act arbitrarily anymore," Gupta said.

According to Section 15 of the draft bill, the Director (Education) will be empowered to recover penalties through measures such as the attachment and sale of school property, appointment of a receiver, or any other mode prescribed by the government.