Delhi&rsquo;s Cabinet has given the green light to a new draft bill aimed at controlling how private and government schools set their fees, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Tuesday (April 29).
Gupta said that the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025 had been cleared in response to rising panic among parents and complaints of students being mistreated over fee disputes.
&ldquo;There was panic among parents and alleged harassment of students in the name of fee hike,&rdquo; Gupta said during a press briefing, as reported by PTI.
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<h2>No previous rules to stop fee hikes, says CM</h2>
Gupta criticised earlier governments for failing to act. &ldquo;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,&rdquo; she said.
The announcement comes just weeks after large groups of parents held protests outside the Directorate of Education (DoE), demanding that schools reverse sudden fee increases.
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/zero-tolerance-delhi-cm-rekha-gupta-acts-against-school-after-unjust-fee-increase-video-8964131" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">'Zero Tolerance': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta acts against school after unjust fee increase-VIDEO</a>
<h2>Action already underway against schools</h2>
In response to the unrest, the DoE announced on 16 April that it had started proceedings against certain unaided private schools found to be raising fees without approval. Penalties could include stripping schools of recognition or even taking over their management.
Delhi&rsquo;s education minister, Ashish Sood, provided further details about the bill, explaining that it would undergo review across 18 key points before being fully enforced.
&ldquo;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,&rdquo; PTI quoted him as saying.
Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/on-womens-day-delhi-cm-rekha-gupta-approves-2500-monthly-aid-for-women-aaps-atishi-says-still-waiting-8834282" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">On Women's Day, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta approves ₹2,500 monthly aid for women; AAP's Atishi says &lsquo;still waiting&rsquo;</a>
He added that a three-tier committee system would be introduced to oversee and regulate future fee increases.
<h2>Parents: &lsquo;We&rsquo;re not ATMs&rsquo;</h2>
Parents across the city have voiced strong opposition to what they say are unjustified and sudden hikes in school charges. Placards during protests read &ldquo;Stop fee hike, parents are not ATMs&rdquo; and &ldquo;Education is the right of every child.&rdquo;
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zuckerbergs-to-shut-down-free-school-only-after-10-years-9014533">'Guy who&rsquo;s been giving money...': Zuckerbergs to shut down free school only after 10 years</a>

India news: Gupta said that the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025 had been cleared in response to rising panic among parents.

Delhi’s Cabinet has given the green light to a new draft bill aimed at controlling how private and government schools set their fees, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Tuesday (April 29). Gupta said that the Delhi School Education Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees Bill, 2025 had been cleared in response to rising panic among parents and complaints of students being mistreated over fee disputes. “There was panic among parents and alleged harassment of students in the name of fee hike,” Gupta said during a press briefing, as reported by PTI. Also read: 'History can't be wished away’: NCERT erases Mughals from books, adds Maha Kumbh but skips stampede: Full list of new changes No previous rules to stop fee hikes, says CM Gupta criticised earlier governments for failing to act. “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,” she said. The announcement comes just weeks after large groups of parents held protests outside the Directorate of Education (DoE), demanding that schools reverse sudden fee increases. Also read: 'Zero Tolerance': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta acts against school after unjust fee increase-VIDEO Action already underway against schools In response to the unrest, the DoE announced on 16 April that it had started proceedings against certain unaided private schools found to be raising fees without approval. Penalties could include stripping schools of recognition or even taking over their management. Delhi’s education minister, Ashish Sood, provided further details about the bill, explaining that it would undergo review across 18 key points before being fully enforced. “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,” PTI quoted him as saying. Also read: On Women's Day, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta approves ₹2,500 monthly aid for women; AAP's Atishi says ‘still waiting’ He added that a three-tier committee system would be introduced to oversee and regulate future fee increases. Parents: ‘We’re not ATMs’ Parents across the city have voiced strong opposition to what they say are unjustified and sudden hikes in school charges. Placards during protests read “Stop fee hike, parents are not ATMs” and “Education is the right of every child.” Also read: 'Guy who’s been giving money...': Zuckerbergs to shut down free school only after 10 years

'Parents are not ATMs': Delhi cracks down on fee hikes in schools - Here's what the new 'Education Transparency' bill means

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Delhi government to take steps to waive off the school tuition fee amid the ongoing coronavirus-induced lockdown.

A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan also expressed displeasure with the petitioner and counsel and asked why did you not apprised the court that a similar matter was already dismissed by the same court.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/we-are-shifting-from-burden-of-school-bag-to-boon-of-learning-pm-modi-317503">Also read|&nbsp;We are shifting from burden of school bag to boon of learning: PM Modi</a>

"This is clear misconduct," the bench said, after which advocate N Pradeep Sharma sought an apology from the High Court and withdrew the PIL as the court was not convinced by his arguments.

The plea, filed by one Naresh Kumar, prayed for the interpretation of Force Majeure clauses in the present pandemic situation and sought directions to the Directorate of Education, Government of NCT Delhi to take steps to waver off the school tuition fee.

According to the petition, the impact of COVID-19 is building by the day, supply chains are being significantly disrupted and businesses` rights and obligations under contracts are coming into sharp focus.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/from-4-years-bed-degree-to-removing-mphil-highlights-of-national-education-policy-2020-316865">Also read|&nbsp;From 4 years B.Ed. degree to removing M.Phil: Highlights of National Education Policy 2020</a>

The plea said that private school administrations have been demanding school fee and other charges without rendering any services. It said that the school admission form does not have any clause that in case of an adverse situation, the school would charge tuition fees for providing online classes.

"The students are facing several side effects and such online classes offered by schools have other medical and psychological implications, which is against the concept of school education," the plea said.

"The schools are duty-bound to follow and abide the terms and conditions which are a part of school prospectus and if there is no Force Majeure clause in the school prospectus, demanding of tuition fee, without providing the actual education, is a violation of law in terms of a contract and also against the principle of natural justice," it added.

The plea said that it would not be out of the question to mention that the school prospectus does not contain any clause with respect to a pandemic or like situation and further that in such a condition, the school would provide online classes and charge tuition fees for the same.It also said that the entire student community is facing a lot of problems to gain knowledge through the online education system.

"Some homework and class tests are required to be undertaken under the guidance of trained teachers so as to achieve, through the online way of teaching. It would be important to mention that private schools are either being run by the Society or trust and are not doing any social service to society. Even otherwise, the school is a service provider and thus is covered under the Consumer Act also," the plea said.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Delhi government to take steps to waive off the school tuition fee amid the ongoing coronavirus-induced lockdown.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Delhi government to take steps to waive off the school tuition fee amid the ongoing coronavirus-induced lockdown. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan also expressed displeasure with the petitioner and counsel and asked why did you not apprised the court that a similar matter was already dismissed by the same court. Also read| We are shifting from burden of school bag to boon of learning: PM Modi "This is clear misconduct," the bench said, after which advocate N Pradeep Sharma sought an apology from the High Court and withdrew the PIL as the court was not convinced by his arguments. The plea, filed by one Naresh Kumar, prayed for the interpretation of Force Majeure clauses in the present pandemic situation and sought directions to the Directorate of Education, Government of NCT Delhi to take steps to waver off the school tuition fee. According to the petition, the impact of COVID-19 is building by the day, supply chains are being significantly disrupted and businesses` rights and obligations under contracts are coming into sharp focus. Also read| From 4 years B.Ed. degree to removing M.Phil: Highlights of National Education Policy 2020 The plea said that private school administrations have been demanding school fee and other charges without rendering any services. It said that the school admission form does not have any clause that in case of an adverse situation, the school would charge tuition fees for providing online classes. "The students are facing several side effects and such online classes offered by schools have other medical and psychological implications, which is against the concept of school education," the plea said. "The schools are duty-bound to follow and abide the terms and conditions which are a part of school prospectus and if there is no Force Majeure clause in the school prospectus, demanding of tuition fee, without providing the actual education, is a violation of law in terms of a contract and also against the principle of natural justice," it added. The plea said that it would not be out of the question to mention that the school prospectus does not contain any clause with respect to a pandemic or like situation and further that in such a condition, the school would provide online classes and charge tuition fees for the same.It also said that the entire student community is facing a lot of problems to gain knowledge through the online education system. "Some homework and class tests are required to be undertaken under the guidance of trained teachers so as to achieve, through the online way of teaching. It would be important to mention that private schools are either being run by the Society or trust and are not doing any social service to society. Even otherwise, the school is a service provider and thus is covered under the Consumer Act also," the plea said.

COVID-19: Delhi HC refuses to entertain PIL seeking directions to waive off school tuition fee

One school in northeast India has taken a novel approach to address the scourge of plastic waste by making its collection a condition of free attendance. Every week the 110 pupils at the Akshar Forum school outside Dispur in Assam state must bring up to 20 items of plastic gathered from their homes and the local area.

School in Assam demands waste plastic as 'fees'

&ldquo;Sorry Mom,&rdquo; wrote a student, Sai Deepthi of class 9 in Hyderabad and hanged herself to death. She was led to take this drastic step after her school called her out from the class and did not allow her to write the exams due to non-payment of school fees.

&nbsp;

Most of us would feel sorry for her and for her parents but what would we do beyond feeling sorry? At best, we will give her a few more columns like the present one and after that reduce her to another statistic &ndash; Suicide # 4 &ndash; just like we reduced the other three suicides before hers. What beyond this?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Principal and teachers declared &lsquo;responsible&rsquo; for abetting her suicide have been put behind bars and will, thankfully, soon come out on bail. But the owners of the school, the ones who actually drove the staff towards such actions are not even brought under scrutiny. The government of Telangana which rode to power driving the promise of providing free education from KG to PG is not even questioned. What, if anything, has it done about the past suicides in the state is not even asked. That a person no less than the Chief Justice of India (in 2016) Justice TS Thakur, in a case in Supreme Court, castigated the government for, possibly, working in connivance with the schools is not even highlighted!&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Parents in Hyderabad have been fighting for almost 10 years now. Have lodged multiple complaints, court cases, organised protests and several of their campaigns have gone viral on social media also. Yet, the Government of Telangana failed to act against any school. Disturbed by this, the parents&rsquo; association in Hyderabad conducted its own investigation and meticulously documented how schools are siphoning off crores of rupees to shell companies in tax havens abroad like the British Virgin Islands. The press on its part documented how Hyderabad has become the costliest city in India for school education. Despite all this, there is no action against any school till date. Is it any wonder then that suicides related to school fees started from and are increasing in frequency in the state of Telangana.

&nbsp;

A suicide related to school fees was earlier reported from Ghaziabad in UP as well. But why should that be a concern to us as a nation? After all, it is &lsquo;just a few suicides&rsquo; in &lsquo;just two&rsquo; states! Moreover, there seems to be no &lsquo;Dalit angle&rsquo; involved, no &lsquo;religion under attack&rsquo; and certainly no cow to bull about. Why would this death occupy prime time news space? Why would it disturb our tolerant or intolerant citizens? How is it relevant to us that a life was lost due to delay in payment of a few hundred rupees as school fees in a nation that guarantees all its children the RIGHT TO FREE EDUCATION.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

That we are unable to provide free education is a fact that, I assume, hardly disturbs anyone. But that basic education has become so unaffordable that students and parents have started committing suicide, is a fact which disturbs no one &ndash; is a fact, that I find very difficult to digest.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

As per a survey done by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India), people in India are afraid to get married and have children because of the increasing cost of school education. Sadly, increasing school-fees as one of the top means of birth control is no longer a joke confined to WhatsApp but a ground reality of India today.

&nbsp;

One would not expect politicians to be bothered about such &lsquo;mundane&rsquo; things but what about others? Why would our intellectuals, celebrity journalists and &lsquo;champions&rsquo; of the poor not be bothered about it? Perhaps they are too occupied with more critical issues like the brand of jacket that Rahul Gandhi wore and with what some looney in some corner of India has to say about some film.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

I wonder why, indeed, would our courts, the conscience keepers of our nation, not take cognisance of this issue and pass strict directions for correction to the government? Unfortunately, they seem too busy fighting amongst themselves and dealing with other issues of grave national importance like the height of &lsquo;Dahi-Haandi&rsquo;.

&nbsp;

The problem related to school fees, even if acknowledged, is often belittled as the problem confined to a &lsquo;limited&rsquo; number of the &lsquo;International&rsquo; schools and one which primarily concerns a whining group of &lsquo;rich&rsquo; parents who want &ldquo;5-Star facilities for their children at 1-Star rates.&rdquo; That the parents select the &lsquo;star&rsquo; of the school as per their affordability but the constant fee increase makes even a 1-star school seem like a 5-star hotel is beside the point.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The main aspect which everyone ignores is that the suicides have come not from the so-called &lsquo;rich&rsquo; or from the so-called &lsquo;international&rsquo; schools but from the &lsquo;low fee schools&rsquo; attended by families from the extremely low-income groups. The fees charged by the school of Sai Deepthi, I am told, is only Rs. 800 per month. Herein lies the problem of increasing school fees &ndash; for the middle class it could be a question of taking a holiday or not, or perhaps going out for a dinner or not but for the poor it&rsquo;s a question of living or not!

&nbsp;

High time that this fact is acknowledged for what it is and acted upon in the best interest of the nation and its future.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

As per a survey done by Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India, people in India are afraid to get married and have children because of the increasing cost of school education.

“Sorry Mom,” wrote a student, Sai Deepthi of class 9 in Hyderabad and hanged herself to death. She was led to take this drastic step after her school called her out from the class and did not allow her to write the exams due to non-payment of school fees. Most of us would feel sorry for her and for her parents but what would we do beyond feeling sorry? At best, we will give her a few more columns like the present one and after that reduce her to another statistic – Suicide # 4 – just like we reduced the other three suicides before hers. What beyond this? The Principal and teachers declared ‘responsible’ for abetting her suicide have been put behind bars and will, thankfully, soon come out on bail. But the owners of the school, the ones who actually drove the staff towards such actions are not even brought under scrutiny. The government of Telangana which rode to power driving the promise of providing free education from KG to PG is not even questioned. What, if anything, has it done about the past suicides in the state is not even asked. That a person no less than the Chief Justice of India (in 2016) Justice TS Thakur, in a case in Supreme Court, castigated the government for, possibly, working in connivance with the schools is not even highlighted! Parents in Hyderabad have been fighting for almost 10 years now. Have lodged multiple complaints, court cases, organised protests and several of their campaigns have gone viral on social media also. Yet, the Government of Telangana failed to act against any school. Disturbed by this, the parents’ association in Hyderabad conducted its own investigation and meticulously documented how schools are siphoning off crores of rupees to shell companies in tax havens abroad like the British Virgin Islands. The press on its part documented how Hyderabad has become the costliest city in India for school education. Despite all this, there is no action against any school till date. Is it any wonder then that suicides related to school fees started from and are increasing in frequency in the state of Telangana. A suicide related to school fees was earlier reported from Ghaziabad in UP as well. But why should that be a concern to us as a nation? After all, it is ‘just a few suicides’ in ‘just two’ states! Moreover, there seems to be no ‘Dalit angle’ involved, no ‘religion under attack’ and certainly no cow to bull about. Why would this death occupy prime time news space? Why would it disturb our tolerant or intolerant citizens? How is it relevant to us that a life was lost due to delay in payment of a few hundred rupees as school fees in a nation that guarantees all its children the RIGHT TO FREE EDUCATION. That we are unable to provide free education is a fact that, I assume, hardly disturbs anyone. But that basic education has become so unaffordable that students and parents have started committing suicide, is a fact which disturbs no one – is a fact, that I find very difficult to digest. As per a survey done by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India), people in India are afraid to get married and have children because of the increasing cost of school education. Sadly, increasing school-fees as one of the top means of birth control is no longer a joke confined to WhatsApp but a ground reality of India today. One would not expect politicians to be bothered about such ‘mundane’ things but what about others? Why would our intellectuals, celebrity journalists and ‘champions’ of the poor not be bothered about it? Perhaps they are too occupied with more critical issues like the brand of jacket that Rahul Gandhi wore and with what some looney in some corner of India has to say about some film. I wonder why, indeed, would our courts, the conscience keepers of our nation, not take cognisance of this issue and pass strict directions for correction to the government? Unfortunately, they seem too busy fighting amongst themselves and dealing with other issues of grave national importance like the height of ‘Dahi-Haandi’. The problem related to school fees, even if acknowledged, is often belittled as the problem confined to a ‘limited’ number of the ‘International’ schools and one which primarily concerns a whining group of ‘rich’ parents who want “5-Star facilities for their children at 1-Star rates.” That the parents select the ‘star’ of the school as per their affordability but the constant fee increase makes even a 1-star school seem like a 5-star hotel is beside the point. The main aspect which everyone ignores is that the suicides have come not from the so-called ‘rich’ or from the so-called ‘international’ schools but from the ‘low fee schools’ attended by families from the extremely low-income groups. The fees charged by the school of Sai Deepthi, I am told, is only Rs. 800 per month. Herein lies the problem of increasing school fees – for the middle class it could be a question of taking a holiday or not, or perhaps going out for a dinner or not but for the poor it’s a question of living or not! High time that this fact is acknowledged for what it is and acted upon in the best interest of the nation and its future. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why a Hyderabad girl killed herself over school fees

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