In a significant step to their act against widespread protests over arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, the Delhi government has approved an ordinance aimed at increasing transparency and regulation in this sector.
During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, officials announced the clearance of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Ordinance, 2025. This ordinance establishes a structured framework to oversee how private schools determine their fees, addressing long-standing grievances from parents regarding sudden fee increases and a lack of clarity in fee structures.
One of the novel provisions of the ordinance is the facility for a three-tier mechanism for regulation of fee, including school-level fee regulation committees, district-level appellate forums, and a state-level revision committee. This new feature would enable adequate handling of disputes and appeals relating to fee matters.
Originally, the BJP-led government has planned to present it in the second half of the Delhi Assembly’s budget session scheduled for May 13-14, but had put it in the backburner. The cabinet on Tuesday cleared the ordinance, which would now be sent to Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for the final nod. Once sanctioned, the same would come into force and will continue to stay until a full-fledged bill is passed in the Assembly.
Significantly, the ordinance prohibits schools from imposing penalties on students for failure to pay fees. This includes barring actions such as expelling students from school rolls, withholding examination results, or public humiliating of them.
This is likely to benefit students as well as parents of 1,677 private institutions, with officials referring to ensuring that the educational institutions function fairly and uniformly. Parent groups had even complained of students being forced out of school rolls or being stopped from attending classes due to fee issues. In some cases, results were withheld from the students, which compelled many students and their families emotionally.
With this ordinance, the Delhi government aims to create a more equitable educational environment and restore trust between parents and private schools.
