Fee Regulation Bill evokes mixed response

The Delhi Government’s School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fee) Bill, 2025 has sparked strong and varied reactions from both parents and school principals across the Capital.

The Bill, which seeks to curb arbitrary fee hike by private schools, introduces a structured, three-tier approval process for fee revisions, mandates parent participation in fee committees and proposes heavy penalties ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Several parents have cautiously welcomed the move, describing it as a step toward greater transparency and accountability.

The Srijan Parents’ Association has extended a conditional welcome to it by calling the Bill as a long-overdue move to curb unchecked fee hike and financial opacity in private unaided schools.

“This Bill can bring real accountability in school education. But for it to succeed, the government must be strict and uncompromising in its implementation. Involvement of parents in decision-making bodies is critical,” said Nitin Gupta, a representative of the organisation.

However, the association has raised strong objections to two specific clauses in the draft Bill. Firstly, it criticised the provision that bars parents from approaching civil courts for fee-related disputes and secondly, the term “base fee of 2024-25” used in the Bill has not been clearly defined.

“Rules and committees must be formed after meaningful consultation. If implemented sincerely, this Bill could protect students and families from the commercialisation of education,” added Gupta.

Sudha Acharya, Principal of ITL Public School, Dwarka, said: “The Bill will bring transparency between schools and parents and help resolve long-standing concerns around fee increases.”

Alka Kapur, Principal of Modern School, Shalimar Bagh, said including five parents in the fee regulation committees is a unique approach and will help bring more diverse viewpoints.

However, not all school heads are entirely convinced. Richa Sharma, Principal of Ramjas School, RK Puram, said the Bill must strike a balance between regulating fee and allowing schools the financial autonomy to maintain quality.

Echoing serious concerns about the Bill, Mahesh Mishra, a parent from DPS Dwarka, pointed out that many schools still do not have functioning PTAs, which could compromise the effectiveness of the first-tier committees. “Without democratically elected PTAs, these committees will remain school-biased,” he warned.

Another parent, Sameer Bhalla, whose child studies at DPS Rohini, criticised the Bill for failing to address ongoing grievances. “What about the fees already collected or the harassment several students faced this year? The Bill offers no relief for past wrongs,” he said.

“We believe the Bill will directly impact lakhs of families. Hence, it is important that it should have been discussed with all stakeholders before being tabled in the Assembly,” said Hitesh Kaushik, a member of United Parents Voice.

Heavy penalties proposed

The Bill, which seeks to curb arbitrary fee hike by private schools, introduces a structured, three-tier approval process for fee revisions, mandates parent participation in fee committees and proposes heavy penalties ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh