Delhi School Fee Law Notified: Parents Find ‘Grey Areas’

Delhi Govt Notifies New Private School Fee Law; Parents Cite ‘Grey Areas’

The Delhi government has formally brought into force the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, with the notification of its detailed, 62-page rules on December 10.

Add businessleague.in as a Preferred Source

Education Minister Ashish Sood hailed the move as a “historic reform” implemented within ten months of the BJP coming to power.

Also read | US Fed Rate Cut: Impact on Rupee, FPI, and Markets Explained

The Core Provisions of the Act

The new law introduces a three-tier regulatory structure (School, District, and State levels) and mandates several key checks aimed at ending “profiteering” by private schools:

• Parental Approval: Any proposed fee hike must be approved by a newly stipulated school-level committee that includes parent representatives chosen via a draw of lots.

• Contesting Hikes: Contesting a hike requires the backing of at least 15% of all parents.

• Financial Transparency: Schools must fully disclose their financial statements, expenditures, and fund utilization to the Department of Education (DoE).

• Surplus Refund: Any surplus funds remaining after meeting statutory obligations must be refunded or adjusted against the next year’s fee, a provision welcomed by parents as a powerful check against profiteering.

Parents Raise Immediate Concerns

While the intent is welcome, parents’ associations have already flagged crucial “grey areas” in the newly notified rules, arguing that certain omissions weaken the legislation’s effectiveness:

• PTA Definition Missing: The president of the Delhi Parents’ Association noted that the rules fail to clearly define the process for the constitution of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), which are central to the entire fee approval mechanism. Concerns exist that schools will continue to “pick parents on their own without notifying elections,” ensuring a lack of transparency.

• Past Fee Hikes Ignored: The rules reportedly do not obligate schools to refund fees that were collected without approval in previous years (up to four to five years ago). Furthermore, the rules do not clarify how overcharged fees from the past would be calculated or refunded, forcing concerned parents to directly approach the DoE for clarification.

The DoE is now set to begin the process of implementing the new framework, including the scrutiny of fee proposals submitted by private schools.

Also read | US Fed Rate Cut: Impact on Rupee, FPI, and Markets Explained

Disclaimer: This information is based on the official notification of the Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Act, 2025, and subsequent statements from the Delhi Education Minister and parents’ associations on December 12, 2025.

Add businessleague.in as a Preferred Source