Bill regulating fees in private schools to bring greater transparency, accountability: Delhi CM

New Delhi: Delhi government is committed to ensuring quality education for every child in the national capital, and the recently-passed Bill to regulate fees in private schools will bring greater transparency and accountability in the institutions, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference, Gupta said the Delhi School Education (Fee Determination and Transparency in Regulation) Bill, 2025, which was passed in Delhi Assembly on Friday, seeks to prevent arbitrary fee hikes and make private schools accessible to children from all sections of society, including those from underprivileged backgrounds.

"There are 1,733 private schools in Delhi, nearly 300 of which were given land at concessional rates by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA)," Gupta said.

"Under the new law, the director of education will have powers equivalent to those of a sub-divisional magistrate to take action against schools violating norms, including freezing bank accounts and attaching property," she added.

The chief minister said the provisions will apply to all the private schools in Delhi, not just those allotted DDA land, and that fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh will be imposed for unauthorised fee hikes, with the penalty doubling in case of delayed payment.

Gupta said the Bill was drafted after consultations with education experts and parents, with a focus on protecting parents' interests without putting undue pressure on the schools.

Criticising the previou AAP government, she alleged that despite tall claims of an education revolution, the sector was plagued by corruption and inefficiency.

"If you were truly concerned about education, why didn't you create a legal framework to control school fees in the past 27 years," she asked the AAP and the Congress, which were in power during that period.

The chief minister also said that schools will now have to justify any proposed fee hike based on factors such as location, facilities, expenditure, and teaching quality, and that parents will have the veto power over such increases.

"This Bill is a shield for the dreams of Delhi's children. No one will be allowed to put a price on their aspirations," she added.