Delhi govt brings all 1,700 private schools under fee regulation with parental veto power

Parents in Delhi will now have a direct say in how much private schools can charge. The Delhi government has extended fee regulation to all 1,700 private schools in the state, with new provisions that require parental approval for any proposed fee hike. Education Minister Ashish Sood announced the move at a “Parents’ Town Hall” in Janakpuri on Friday, framing it as a step to make fee structures transparent and accountable.

The Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025, passed during the Monsoon Session of the Assembly, replaces the 1973 rules that covered only 300 schools. “Now, all private schools in Delhi will come under the ambit of fee regulation,” Sood said.

Under the law, school-level committees, made up of parents, teachers, school management, and government representatives, will examine and approve fee proposals. Parents will also have the power to veto increases they find unjustified. District-level committees must review such decisions by July 30, with final approvals issued by September. If a matter remains unresolved beyond 45 days, it can be escalated to an appellate committee.

Penalties for violations are defined clearly: schools raising fees without approval face fines ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh, which will double if excess charges are not refunded.

Sood said the law is intended to curb the commercialisation of education and protect students’ interests. “Past governments failed to establish a transparent mechanism, leaving parents vulnerable to arbitrary fee increases,” he noted.

He acknowledged that many parents chose private schools because government-run institutions had suffered from infrastructure and resource gaps. By bringing parents into the decision-making process and enforcing strict deadlines and penalties, the government aims to ensure that fee hikes are both reasonable and justified.